Written answers

Thursday, 13 February 2014

Department of Health

Midwifery Services

Photo of Clare DalyClare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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24. To ask the Minister for Health if he will remove the public services recruitment embargo in respect of midwives as a matter of urgency in view of the closure of Mount Carmel Hospital, which is placing further pressures on maternity hospitals to accommodate 1,200 additional births every year, and in view of the confirmation of severe midwifery staffing shortages, which are jeopardising pregnant women’s care and which have been known to his Department since 2006 and to the Health Service Executive since 2008 when its own KPMG study reported a shortage of 221 midwives in the greater Dublin region. [6706/14]

Photo of James ReillyJames Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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I wish to confirm to the Deputy that there is no embargo on the recruitment of midwives in the public health service. While the numbers employed across the public service must be reduced in order to meet fiscal and budgetary targets it is recognised that certain services such as maternity are demand led and require specialist staffing. Arrangements are in place in the HSE to allow the recruitment of such staff where it has been established that there is an urgent service requirement.

The number of Staff Midwives, including the Senior Staff Grade, in the public health service at the end of 2013 was 1,341 (WTEs) - including 20 on the Graduate Placement Scheme. The number at the end of 2007 was 933 (WTEs). The December 2013 figure is noteworthy, as it shows the manner in which the HSE has the capacity to focus recruitment in specific areas where increases are required. The number employed at the end of 2012 was 1,310 and at the end of 2010 the figure was 1,178. As I have previously stated, the HSE examined the possibility of the State taking over Mount Carmel. However, given the relatively low number of births at the Hospital and the falling birth rate it was decided that it would not be necessary to do so. Arrangements have been made for pregnant patients who were attending Mount Carmel to be transferred to the public maternity hospitals.

I am satisfied that it is open to the HSE to recruit the levels of frontline staff necessary to ensure that we have safe service provision. More generally, in order to mitigate the impact on frontline services of the reduction in employment numbers, the priority is to reform how health services are delivered in order to ensure a more productive and cost effective health system.

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