Barrett demands Mayo University Hospital nursing posts be released
Castlebar-based Councillor Harry Barrett has written to the Minister for Health demanding the immediate release of sanctioned nursing posts at Mayo University Hospital.
Councillor Barrett wants a substantive written response within seven days.
In his email, he said nurses are ready to work at the hospital, but appointments are being held up by Government spending restrictions. He said the situation “cannot be allowed to continue”.
Young nurses who expected to start in Castlebar have had their appointments delayed - as first reported by the Connaught Telegraph, he said.
Some had already left other jobs and arranged accommodation.
Councillor Barrett said MUH continues to face serious overcrowding and postponed operations, with staff “already stretched to their limits”.
He pointed to a report in the Irish Times raising questions about the legal basis for the recruitment restrictions.
The paper also reported that senior doctors at Cork University Hospital have asked the Taoiseach to intervene and secure an independent assessment of their staffing needs.
“Mayo University Hospital deserves the same attention,” Cllr Barrett told the Minister.
He asked the Minister to address four matters urgently:
Sanctioned posts: Will previously sanctioned, clinically essential nursing and frontline appointments at MUH be allowed to proceed immediately?
Legal authority: What is the legal basis for the restrictions? Were they approved by the HSE Board, and was a formal ministerial direction issued?
Staffing assessment: Will the Minister commission an independent assessment of staffing shortages at MUH and their impact on patient safety?
Delayed appointments: How many appointments are awaiting approval? How many have exceeded the reported 20-day processing target? When will these staff begin work?
Councillor Barrett said he understands the need to control public spending.
But he warned that delaying essential appointments risks putting more pressure on existing staff and increasing reliance on costly agency cover.
“Mayo University Hospital needs nurses on its wards, not waiting for permission to take up jobs they were expecting to start,” he said.
He asked the Minister to intervene directly and release the essential sanctioned posts.