Up to 6 per cent of junior doctor jobs in health board hospitals are unfilled, according to the Health Service Employers' Agency. Nearly 300 nursing jobs in the Dublin region are not being covered by agency nurses or overtime, its figures suggest.
Flexible working is among the inducements which the Eastern Regional Health Authority is to promote to encourage nurses to stay at work or to return to work in the hospitals.
Statistics compiled after the start of new six-monthly contracts for non-consultant hospital doctors suggested there were 73 vacancies out of 1,275 posts in health board hospitals, representing a vacancy rate of nearly 6 per cent. The private voluntary hospitals, by contrast, were able to fill all but 14 of their 1,082 posts, giving a vacancy rate of just over 1 per cent.
While hospitals try to cover nurse vacancies with agency nurses and overtime, those most affected are still unable to get complete cover, the figures suggest.
Figures compiled by the HSEA in March showed that of 889 vacancies in the Dublin region, agency nurses covered 367 a day, and overtime covered another 230, leaving a net deficit in the system of 292.
At the same time, there were 700 nurses registered as unemployed. While there are nurse shortages in hospitals around the State, the Dublin region appears to be the hardest hit.
However, the HSEA says there are optimistic signs for the future. For instance, 3,171 nurses registered abroad inquired about registering with An Bord Altranais in 1999.
The Eastern Regional Health Authority has had discussions with An Bord Altranais about ways to encourage nurses working in the home or elsewhere to return to the hospital service.
"We believe flexibility in the working environment is particularly important for parents who are raising a family," a spokeswoman said. "We are particularly interested in identifying people who have been working at home and who might be interested in working outside the home, who could perhaps participate in refresher courses."
Our continuing survey of the staffing situation of hospitals shows, again, that experience varies from hospital to hospital even within the same regions.
East: James Connolly Memorial Hospital, Blanchardstown: About five general surgery operations a week are being postponed. The hospital has 12 nursing vacancies which are not covered by agency nurses or overtime. Naas General Hospital: Working normally, no vacancies.
St Colmcille's Hospital, Loughlinstown: An 18-bed medical ward which had been closed temporarily has had to remain closed because of nurse vacancies. No effect on operations. St Luke's and St Anne's: The State's main hospital providing radiotherapy says it is "affected by shortages but we haven't had to cancel any procedures or close any wards. We have to pull out all the stops to ensure we keep the service going."
The hospital has been helped by the fact that most radiotherapy is provided on an outpatient basis.
Mid-West: Mid-Western Regional Hospital, Limerick: Short three non-consultant hospital doctors out of 110 posts but has not cancelled operations or closed wards.
South: Mercy Hospital, Cork: No shortage of nurses or doctors. This is a typical example of variations within cities and regions as Cork University Hospital has cancelled a limited number of surgical procedures.
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