Jennifer Carroll MacNeill has initiated discussions with HSE's Bernard Gloster to enhance hospital staffing during weekends, particularly with the approaching St Brigid's Day and St Patrick's Day holidays. She noted recent spikes in hospital trolley numbers, indicating a need for more senior decision-makers on-site rather than just on-call. While she acknowledged improvements in rostering, she stressed that patient safety remains the primary concern, highlighting the significance of comprehensive coverage in emergency departments to manage public health effectively during peak times.
"I can see the lift, I think approximately, forgive me now, but approximately, say this last weekend, from about 160 on Saturday morning to 420 on Monday morning."
"I'm very focused on a bank holiday coming up at St Patrick's Day, which, as I said, also coincides with one of the largest public order spikes that we see, based on the CSO data."
"I don't mean on call, I mean on site. I've had sight of some of those rosters, say last week, and I wasn't pleased."
"It is also about the whole of region approach to getting people out of hospitals. That works very well in some instances and less well."
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