Máire Hoctor (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)

I am replying on behalf of my colleague, Deputy Harney, Minister for Health and Children. The provision of services at Sligo General Hospital is the responsibility of the Health Service Executive. The Health Service Executive has informed the Department that Sligo General Hospital is reducing temporary staff in some nursing, medical and catering posts. This does not involve any withdrawal of the core services provided by the hospital. The circumstances are specific to each staff category and I will explain these for each.

With regard to nursing staff, as in previous years, in the summer months additional temporary staff were employed, mainly to cover annual and other leave. A total of 30 people were employed on a temporary basis for this reason. This compares with a total permanent nursing staff of over 700 at Sligo General in whole time equivalent terms. As in every organisation, small or large, public sector or private sector, when permanent staff have returned from their summer holidays, the temporary cover staff are no longer needed. This is what happened at Sligo General Hospital. In no organisation could this arrangement be described as a cutback in staffing.

Four temporary consultant posts, which were contracted for specific temporary purposes and time periods, have recently come to the end of their contracts. These posts were in addition to the permanent consultant complement of the hospital, which is not affected and remains the same. In orthopaedics, one of the three permanent consultants was a member of the Medical Council until his recent retirement. To maintain full orthopaedic services a locum was employed while this consultant was away on Medical Council business. Following his retirement, a new permanent consultant was appointed and has taken up full-time duty in Sligo General Hospital. There was therefore no requirement to maintain the locum position.

In obstetrics/gynaecology, one of the three permanent consultants retired in July, his replacement having taken up duty prior to this. To ensure a smooth transition, the retiring consultant was contracted on a short-term locum basis following his retirement. This arrangement can now be discontinued, and the specialty has its full complement of three consultants. In surgery and ENT, a temporary additional consultant was employed in both these specialties during 2006 to help reduce waiting lists. They were not intended as permanent appointments. The hospital has had the benefit of these temporary appointments in reducing waiting lists and seeing more patients. However, within its overall funding the hospital has to make choices about which service pressures most need to be addressed from time to time, and it was decided at this time to discontinue these temporary contracts, to allow the funds to be used for other service priorities. The recently opened new neonatal intensive care unit, for example, which provides a much better facility for newborns, required and received more nurses to staff it.

With regard to the Deputy's reference to patients waiting over 12 months, the Minister understands that to date this year, 207 inpatients have been referred to the National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF. Patients waiting longer than three months are entitled to apply for treatment through the NTPF. I hope Sligo General Hospital would make every effort to reduce its waiting lists by referring appropriate patients to the fund.

Overall consultant staffing has been significantly enhanced at Sligo General Hospital. An additional appointment has been made in paediatrics and radiology. Further consultants in emergency medicine, pathology and radiology have been approved and a consultant neurologist will take up post in January 2008.

It is clear that these measures do not entail a reduction in the hospital's core services, nor will they adversely affect the quality and safety of patient care. Every effort is being made to ensure the hospital's resources are managed in an efficient and effective manner to protect core services and activity, and to deal with emerging service pressures. This year, our health services are seeing significant increases in funding, staffing and patient services. That is the record so far and will be the overall outcome at the end of the year.

The Government is clearly committed to the provision of services at Sligo General Hospital. The HSE is fully aware that it must remain within the employment ceiling negotiated with the Department of Finance. The Minister is confident that the measures taken by the HSE with regard to Sligo General Hospital will assist the hospital to manage its services within budget.

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