Under fire Mayo University Hospital to appoint additional nursing staff
Concerns have been raised about staffing shortfalls at the hospital.
Mayo University Hospital looks set to recruit more emergency department nursing staff as the hospital comes under fire for resourcing and overcrowding issues.
Hospital Manager Catherine Donohoe responded to a parliamentary question posed by Mayo Aontu TD Paul Lawless.
The hospital manager outlined that that 15 whole-time-equivalent roles will be filled. Additionally, the MUH intends to hire 3.5 Healthcare Assistants.
The new roles "are currently being resourced with offers having gone out to 6 Nursing staff and two Healthcare Assistants," Mrs Donohoe said.
The Hospital Manager also noted an 'optimistic target' of having all staff in post by year end.
Deputy Lawless had asked Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill to provide an update' on the hiring process for Mayo University Hospital.
He said the latest news is welcome but only a “first step.” “This is not the finish line—it’s the starter pistol. A positive first step, yes, but one taken after far too many laps around the bureaucratic track,” said the Mayo TD.
Let us not forget. This audit sat idle for far too long while dangerously high patient-to-staff ratios became the daily reality. On some days, just five nurses were expected to manage an Emergency Department handling over 160 patients. The staff were extraordinary—but no one should have to be extraordinary just to get through a shift. This wasn’t just a strain—it was a warning siren the system chose to ignore, a system that abuses it's heroes on the front line,” Deputy Lawless commented.
In recent weeks, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) began a ballot of its members in Mayo University Hospital in response to what it described as "dangerous staffing shortfalls" in the hospital.
The union has accused the HSE of failing to implement the Safe Staffing Framework, which sets out minimum staffing levels required for safe patient care.
The INMO said it is calling for a significant number of additional funded positions to be added in the Emergency Department to meet these minimum levels.
