Discussion document on Mater Hospital published

A NEW discussion document on the Mater Hospital’s future highlights a €26.6 million spend on agency staff over the last eight years.

The 37 page document launched last week by Dublin Central TD, Mary Lou McDonald (SF) was drafted on the back of a series of parliamentary questions on the Northside hospital submitted to the Minister for Health as well as engagement with the HSE and discussions with stakeholders and service providers

Figures in the document claim certain agency doctors can cost hospitals around €1,000 a day, while in one year 50 agency doctors earned €300,000.

Last year over €4.5 million was spent on agency staff while in the first two months of 2017 the figure was €917,669.

The document says the Mater Hospital requires serious capital and operational investment as it faces additional pressures on its capacity due to the increase in population as well as the aging population in its catchment area.

The document also highlights the transient nature of many service users such as the homeless or the tourist population passing through and says office workers using the Smithfield service also creates extra demand on existing capacity.

“The Mater provides not just a local service but it also provides many specific specialities such as in the area of transplants,” said Deputy McDonald.

“It is in all of our interests that the hospital works and works well.

“This why we have produced this discussion document.  We wanted to see in detail how well it was working.”

The Sinn Fein TD acknowledged the staff of the Mater who she described as “committed, caring and very overworked.”

“There aren’t enough of them because of the moratorium on public sector recruitment,” she added.

“So a figure that jumps out from this discussion document is the amount of money being spent on agency staff. Agency staff is the most expensive way to staff any service.  

“There are many other such startling figures in terms of hospital cancellations, waiting times, emergency department attendances and so on.”

Deputy McDonald is calling on people who work in the voluntary sector, professionals working in health and Mater patients to read the document and add to the discussion. 

“The detailed information gathered in this document clearly illustrates the pressures and stresses faced by both the staff and the patients of the Mater,” she continued. “It also shows Government under spending in health, which has consequences for service provision and will have consequences for patients in cancellations of elective surgery, longer waiting times and less resources available to treat them.”

Sinn Fein wants to improve the hospital system by recruiting more staff, opening further beds and investing in care in the community.