Surgeons get moratorium lifted to fill nursing gaps

THE MORATORIUM on employing nurses has been lifted at a hospital in Galway after consultants there raised fears about orthopaedic surgery waiting lists.

Consultants at Merlin Park hospital had written to Minister for Health James Reilly with concerns over the retirement of 30 per cent of nurses from the hospital’s orthopaedic unit.

The orthopaedic unit at the hospital, which is part of the Galway University Hospitals group, has 25 beds and should have 21 nurses.

After retirements, by the end of February, it only had 11. The theatre, with two operating rooms, should have 8.5 nurses, but was down to 4.5 nurses.

As part of the moratorium on public service recruitment, retiring staff were not due to be replaced by the Health Service Executive (HSE).

The four orthopaedic consultants at Merlin Park – Stephen Kearns, Fintan Shannon, Bill Curtin and Michael O’Sullivan – had raised concerns over patient safety in a letter to the Minister. They had warned that outpatient waiting lists would grow by 300 per cent and elective surgery would be halved in the unit if the posts were not filled.

The consultants later met Dr Reilly to explain their concerns.

In response to a parliamentary question put down by Fine Gael TD Brian Walsh, Dr Reilly said the HSE was recruiting nurses to “permanently fill vacancies in theatre and on the elective orthopaedic ward”.

Nursing staff had also agreed to work “additional paid hours” and those on reduced hours had agreed to “increase their hours permanently”.

The decision would ensure continuity of orthopaedic services at the hospital, Dr Reilly said.

Mr Walsh said Galway had been “very fortunate to have arguably the best orthopaedic department in the country and an exceptional team of surgeons”.

“They forewarned of this crisis well over a year ago and no measures were taken to avert what was a very dangerous situation,” he said.

“I am glad that steps have finally been taken to ensure the continuity of services and I thank the Minister for his intervention.”

He said the Minister had previously agreed to lift the recruitment embargo at University Hospital Galway and had approved the appointment of 12 nurses.

“It is evidence of a willingness to listen and a common sense approach to the allocation of resources that has been sadly lacking under previous administrations,” Mr Walsh said.