EMERGENCY AND maternity services at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda will have to be provided elsewhere unless sufficient numbers of junior doctors can be recruited in the next week, a consultant at the hospital has warned.
Dr Michael Staunton, the lead clinician in the department of anaesthesia at the hospital, has told Health Service Executive (HSE) management that only three out of 14 junior doctor posts in anaesthesia “are definitely filled”. The posts fall vacant on Monday next, January 10th, when junior doctors rotate jobs as part of their training. He said that six Hungarian and Romanian doctors had also been offered posts but it was “far from certain that they will be registered and have moved to Ireland” by next week.
“If there are not enough anaesthetists to cover acute services in Drogheda then those acute services – the emergency department or an obstetric unit with 4,000 deliveries – will have to be provided elsewhere,” he warned.
“I am extremely frustrated that HSE management has done little or nothing in the last six months to address the NCHD [non-consultant hospital doctor or junior doctor] shortage,” he added.
His comments are contained in a letter to the HSE’s acting hospital network manager for Dublin North East Willie Rattigan, written on December 10th last, which has been seen by The Irish Times.
He pointed out that despite an enormous amount of effort it has been practically impossible to attract anaesthetic NCHDs to the Lourdes hospital. “There were no applications in response to advertising,” he wrote. But he said a recruitment initiative recently held in Budapest and organised by the hospital itself had the potential to fill some, but not all, of the vacant posts.
The HSE, in an attempt to fill junior doctor vacancies, has begun offering potential candidates two-year rather than six-month contracts to work across a number of hospitals in each region, as well as offering applicants’ visa, registration and 12-weeks’ accommodation costs. But Dr Staunton, in his letter, said it was “much too late” to be advertising these posts in December with the expectation that doctors would be available to commence duty in January.
“These posts are not recognised training posts on college rotations and are not likely to be attractive, particularly in busy hospitals like Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital,” he added.
The Lourdes hospital also had difficulty filling all junior doctor posts in anaesthesia last July and a number of posts had to be filled by agency locums. Dr Staunton said some locums at the weekend may be unfamiliar with the hospital which “has significant implications for patient safety”, as well as the agency service being costly.
A spokeswoman for HSE Dublin North East said yesterday it continues to monitor anticipated vacancies for NCHDs in key specialties including anaesthetics and paediatrics and recruitment initiatives are ongoing.
It said a recent recruitment drive abroad resulted in a number of suitable applicants being selected for appointment. “The Irish Medical Council committed to fast-tracking registrations for these doctors provided they meet the registration requirements and all necessary supporting documentation is lodged with them. It is anticipated that candidates will be available in Our Lady Of Lourdes Hospital, Drogheda for the start of the new rotation,” it said.
“It is also anticipated that staff from Dublin hospitals will work on an overtime basis for particular shifts,” it added.
It also said four appointments of junior doctors in paediatrics have been confirmed for the hospital and additional support is anticipated from the Dublin children’s hospitals.