Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There are many different factors that contribute to trolley waits. Some of those factors vary from hospital to hospital. While there are difficulties recruiting certain specialties of consultants and certain categories of non-consultant hospital doctors and nurses, recruitment was not a major factor in the difficulties faced by the emergency departments in recent months. Indeed, staffing levels were higher in January 2015 than June 2014 and the numbers of doctors employed by the HSE is at an all-time high. Delayed discharges, in particular, have been identified as a critical factor in the difficulties that arose and this reduced effective bed capacity. There was also a higher number of older patients who required a longer stay.

I convened the emergency department task force before Christmas to examine the matter as a priority and to make recommendations. The task force worked diligently on the issue and the report was published at the end of March. The plan being implemented on foot of this work includes additional funding of €74 million to address specific requirements identified, including nursing home places, transitional care beds and community and district hospital beds. I am determined that the task force action plan is put into operation without delay and I will take a personal interest in ensuring this.

In recent years the HSE has had the capacity to recruit where necessary to deliver front-line services. Since the Government came to office, the number of consultants has increased by 150, the number of NCHDs has increased by more than 600 since 2010 and the number of nurses employed by the HSE has increased by more than 500 in the past 12 months. Agency staff was also utilised to support service delivery.

The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform announced in budget 2015 that he intended to delegate greater autonomy to Departments and agencies to manage their staffing levels within allocated pay frameworks. This change allows further recruitment flexibility, for example, where it is determined that offering permanent contracts can achieve more economical service delivery than agency use. The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform has advised that the HSE and Department of Health are required to submit a 2015 pay and numbers strategy to give effect to this decision. This strategy is currently being finalised. Following approval of the strategy, a letter of delegated sanction for staffing will be issued.

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