Health Minister says Mayo hospital is not understaffed - but cites 'weekend management' concerns

Health Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill has raised concerns over weekend management at Mayo University Hospital.

She said she visited the facility after it had 'a very poor hospital trolley performance' over the bank holiday weekend in early February - "but it has been consistently difficult there."

The minister added: "It had a significant uplift both in resources and staff, but I am concerned about its weekend management.

"Not to be too unfair to Mayo, but the point is that there are different nuances in every hospital and we need to be honest about this."

The INMO has been very critical of the fact that the emergency department at the facility is down 30 nurses on the roster despite funding being approved for them.

The minister was taken to task on this matter in Dail Éireann by Mayo TD Rose Conway-Walsh.

The Erris-based representative stated: "The government claims the recruitment embargo in the HSE has been lifted since last July but there have been no positive effects in Mayo.

"I met representatives of the INMO last week again. In fact, I have very direct experience of being in the emergency department in Mayo University Hospital in the last number of weeks.

"I commend the staff there for the job they are doing but they are expected to do that job even though there are not enough of them."

The minister insisted there is a 32% increase in staff at the Castlebar centre.

In response, Deputy Conway-Walsh said the minister can hold up whatever document she likes - "but I am telling her that there are not enough staff in the emergency department of Mayo University Hospital to provide safe service there."

"I am also telling the minister that it is a deterrent for so many people who want to, and probably need to, go to hospital. They want to do everything to stay out of hospital.

"Those nurses and other staff members are absolutely run off their feet.

"They are expected to operate on a corridor with trolleys each side of it, patients in pain moaning, looking for help and trying to get a bed when they cannot get a bed, yet the minister is telling me the hospital has enough staff.

"It does not have enough staff. I can tell the minister that. I am very grateful for the service the staff provide but there is not enough of them there.

"Whatever the minister is doing, I ask her to please address that and to look at it."