Hospital consultants and staff unions have warned of further cuts in Western Health Board services, following the identification of 169 posts at risk within the board's hospitals yesterday.
The Irish Hospital Consultants' Association is to seek an urgent meeting with the Minister for Health and Children, Mr Martin, over the possible job cuts,including some medical posts, which were revealed when the consultants met Western Health Board officials yesterday morning in Galway.
The IHCA says that it is only the beginning, as the WHB intends to reduce its current budget over-run of €13 million to between €4 and €6 million by the end of the year. This can only be achieved through cuts in patient services, the IHCA says.
The Department of Health was "surprised" by the news that the Western Health Board was planning the lay-off 169 temporary workers, a spokesman said last night.
"We have been in constant contact with the Western Health Board on the issue and we are now trying to get clarification about this latest news," he said.
Some 418 posts were due to be filled by the WHB this year but according to departmental figures, only 30 of those had been filled by June.
This left the health board with plenty of scope to leave 85 posts unfilled, the spokesman said. The Western Health Board was making no comment last night, but a letter sent to unions earlier this week states that the 169 posts identified represents a first draft and is "work in progress".
The board says its "core accountability" to achieve savings through 85 posts - the figure which the Department of Health says is more consistent with its levy of €1.15 million on it.
It also says that it awaits "clarification" from the Department on whether the reduction of €1.15 million from the budget is a "once off" or whether it will roll forward into 2003.
"Should this be the case, continued effects for 2000 could be very significant," it says.
"There has been a union proposal to management to monitor and review mileage and expenses, and the board is prepared to engage in this work," the letter from the board states.
The unions claim that contract termination notices have already been issued to members, in breach of agreements. And they say that the draft list of 169 posts is not confined to the clerical, administrative and managerial areas as originally signalled by the health board in its memo of August 13th.
The IHCA and SIPTU have demanded that the €15 million saved in the hospital waiting list treatment purchase scheme be redirected to the Western Health Board.
The trade union, IMPACT, has demanded a meeting with the health board and has warned of protest action if the board maintained its approach.
The draft list of 169 posts refers to grade and location. Most of the posts are clerical and administrative, but the list also includes a radiographer at Roscommon County Hospital; one pharmacy technician and one physiotherapist aide at Merlin Park Hospital, Galway; a laboratory aide at Portiuncula Hospital, Ballinasloe, Co Galway; a "half" post for a nurse, one clinical psychologist and a half post for a recreation therapist at the West Galway Mental Health and Older People's Services; a psychiatric nurse with Galway Community Services; and a social worker at University College Hospital, Galway.
The WHB has said earlier this month that it would be forced to make the cuts because it was levied with a sum of €1.15 million by the Department of Health and Children.
The Department maintains the savings can be made through not filling 85 posts.
Mr Finbarr Fitzpatrick, secretary general of the IHCA, said 169 people had been employed by the health services because these posts were needed, and their absence would create voids."While they may not directly affect patient care in the ward, many of these people would have been involved in out-patient appointments, in the preparation or typing of discharge letters on behalf of patients back to the family doctors and so on.
"So there is an encroachment there on medical care within the hospitals and that does cause us concern."
Mr Fitzpatrick said he understood the WHB's €13 million over budget would amount to between €4 million and €6 million by the end of the year, which would suggest further severe cuts in hospital services in the months ahead.
"We are particularly concerned that the specialties of geriatrics, orthopaedic and vascular surgery will be prime targets for the next round of cuts."
He said he had been told that inpatient admissions were up in WHB hospitals by 4 per cent, day case surgery had grown by 7 per cent and out patient attendances had jumped by 11 per cent.
Should this increasing demand be met with a reduction in patient services, longer waiting lists would be inevitable, he said.
IMPACT, which is most affected by the move, said it would be forced to ballot for protest action to protect services and jobs if the board maintained its "present approach", and it warned that more cuts in services and jobs appeared to be on the way.
