Pension exodus could cripple health service

HEALTH services in Clare and the Mid-West will be “decimated” if 330 front-line Health Service Executive employees are allowed to retire before the Government’s public service pension deadline next February, it has been claimed.

Trade unions and HSE West Forum members have claimed up to 330 HSE employees, including 186 nurses, throughout the Mid-West have indicated their willingness to retire before the pension deadline.
According to official figures obtained by The Clare Champion, the breakdown of HSE personnel waiting to go also includes 14 medical and dental staff; 22 health and social care staff; 80 general support staff and 30 management and administration staff.
Expressing alarm at the high number of nurses willing to leave the service, INMO representative Mary Fogarty warned the impact of the loss of even half of these front-line nurses through retirement would be “catastrophic” for health services.
Ms Fogarty claimed nurses working in acute hospitals Are effectively being driven out of the service because of increasing levels of stress and pressure as a result of ongoing cutbacks in services and staffing levels.
Considering nurses in Mid-Western Regional Hospitals, at Ennis and Limerick, are already struggling to cope with severe staffing reductions and other cutbacks, Ms Fogarty stressed further significant cuts would threaten patient safety unless replacement staff are hired.
She claimed services in Ennis hospital have already been reduced following the departure of about 24 nurses over the last two years mainly through retirement.
She said endoscopy had been reduced from five to four days a week, while only one of the two day theatres is now operating four days a week. To restore full services would require an extra 10 nurses, she explained, excluding the expected retirement of at least 10 nurses, who have expressed an interest in leaving the service early in the new year.
Ms Fogarty warned it would be impossible to deliver a proper and safe service if further staff reductions are made without cutting services, such as closing wards and beds. She called for the implementation of a contingency plan to deal with these retirements.
“It is not about delivering a safe service anymore. It is all about fire fighting and the service is being directed towards the provision of care at the lowest possible cost, which isn’t compatible with the best care for patients.
“The figure of 186 nurses seeking expressions of interest is very frustrating and disappointing. Front-line nurses are being driven out of the service. They want to leave because they feel they can no longer provide a good service because of all the cuts.
“Some nurses are leaving the service to work in lower paid jobs just to get out of the public health service. Nurses don’t feel valued and feel patients are not being considered properly.
“Cuts are already affecting very vulnerable patients such as the elderly and those with disabilities,” she claimed.
“Disability services are also coming under tremendous pressure. Management are considering plans to provide a more institutional type of care for people with disabilities in the Brothers of Charity and Daughters of Charity services by reducing access to day and social services. It is frustrating to see the public health service being run down.
“Because of the pressure local HSE management is coming under to reduce costs from the Government and the HSE nationally, all the emphasis seems to be on numbers and not on patient safety or dependency levels,” she said.
HSE West Forum member, Councillor Brian Meaney urged Health Minister James Reilly to lift the national recruitment embargo to ensure safe health services are provided in the region.
Councillor Meaney warned that even if one-third of the staff expressing an interest proceed to leave, it would have huge implications for health services in the county.
“These figures are shocking and alarming. The Government will have to allow the HSE to agree a minimum staffing for health services in the region,” he said.
Retired psychiatric nurse, Councillor Tom McNamara claimed health services would be “decimated” as wards and units in various facilities would have to be amalgamated or closed to keep existing staffing at a safe level.
Expressing concern about the age profile of nurses, Councillor McNamara pointed out that front-line employees were generally older following their recruitment in the late ’80s, while most of the increase in administration and managerial staff came in the ’90s.
“Administrative staff can’t be redeployed to front-line services because they don’t have the necessary qualifications. I am very concerned about this situation,” he said.
Describing the figures as “frightening”, HSE West Forum member, Councillor Pat Burke stressed a “Plan B” has to be implemented to avert possible “chaos” in health services.
“All these people can’t be allowed to retire as health services are already struggling to cope with cutbacks. The situation is now critical,” he said.
Councillor Joe Arkins, also a retired psychiatric nurse, claimed the national recruitment embargo is a “crude instrument”, which has to be lifted as it is already having an adverse impact on front-line services.
“While redeployment is an option, where do you redeploy from if services are already short staffed. Job cuts should be targeted at people who may or may not have a function in the system. Why does the HSE need so much staff in personnel when it is no longer hiring staff?” he asked.
Mid-West area manager, Bernard Gloster has confirmed the regional health authority does not, at this point in time, have a definitive list of actual retirements. However, the agency has the numbers and grades of staff that have sought calculations as to their entitlements under the various pension schemes in operation within the health service.
“It will obviously remain subject to assessment of the final detail of receipt of retirements as to the impact on front-line services provision associated with these retirements, as it is envisaged the majority will not be replaced,” he said.