The Chief Executive of Ireland’s Health Service Executive (HSE) says the absence of key decision-makers working in hospitals at weekends is “crucifying the health system”.
CEO, Bernard Gloster told Irish television’s This Week program that new plans to deal with overcrowding at emergency departments would involve the HSE asking staff to work different hours.
“We simply do not have the capability at the moment of making decisions and providing the same service we do Monday-to-Friday to people at weekends and that is absolutely crucifying our health system,” Mr Gloster (pictured) said.
“I cannot continue to ask the Government to invest heavily in an existing model of service and service delivery that simply for two days of the week is not delivering projects capable of delivering on the other five days of the week.”
He said a new plan to tackle overcrowding would be published by the end of May, replacing the traditional winter plan.
Mr Gloster said he had spoken to Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly about the prospect of providing on-site accommodation for healthcare staff at hospitals in the future.
Asked if he would be allocating any of the HSE’s capital budget to providing such accommodation, he said the HSE would be “open to possibilities…we’ll have to look at it on a case-by-case basis”.
“I think there are certain hospitals in certain parts of the country where the case will be stronger than others,” Mr Gloster said.
“We will look at individual proposals…against the available resources that we have and where we can do more to help we will…but we need the expertise I would suggest from housing bodies and others also to do that.”
Dublin, 11 May 2023
