Patient Care - HSE

The Health Service Executive has denied claims by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation that proposals to change work practices in the health service will compromise patient care.

HSE National Director of Human Resources Barry O'Brien said the latest round of cuts will help deliver the €290m savings agreed under the Haddington Road Agreement.

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Mr O'Brien (HSE) said skill mix is being painted as a negative approach, but it is a safe and appropriate measure.

 He said the ratios differ across departments, as some units require higher ratios of nurses.

Mr O'Brien said the HSE will put in place the best mixture of staff to deliver the best quality of care.
He said it will recruit junior doctors where it can, including eastern Europe, in order to meet its obligations under the European Working Time Directive.

Nurses say the proposals will put severe strain on frontline health staff and managers. INMO General Secretary Liam Doran had earlier said the plan to lower the ratio of nurses to healthcare assistant in an attempt to save €80m this year was unsafe.

The INMO has also expressed concern that only essential posts will be filled from October and they will only be filled by graduates and interns.

Speaking on the same programme, Mr Doran said it would mean the de-skilling of the frontline workforce and result in managers taking decisions to close beds.

Mr Doran said the quality of patient care will suffer.  He said: "There's already been grievous hits. What the HSE is now proposing is a further hit on top of that which will de-skill the workforce at a time when in hospitals, whether that be acute, care of the elderly, disability or care in the community, there is an ever-increasing demand, an ever-increasing level of dependency and an ever-increasing demand to enhance the nursing and support workforce, not to reduce it."

Link to RTE report here