A CONSULTANT at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda who offered to give up part of his pay so that extra nurses could be employed at the hospital has hit out at the Health Service Executive for failures in leadership and decision-making.
Dr David Vaughan, in a letter to the hospital's general manager, said he continued to be concerned "by the marked deficits in neonatal nursing and midwifery numbers" at the hospital.
The shortage of midwives at the hospital has been highlighted for months and Dr Vaughan, who is chair of the hospital's medical board, said he was very concerned about the effect of the deficits on the safety of mothers and babies, as well as the effect it was having on the workload of nurses already in the hospital.
"These deficits contribute greatly to what senior managers have termed the most important safety issue in northeast hospital services.
"I have to admit I have no confidence that any substantial risk reduction can be undertaken by the HSE.
"I believe they have shown a failure in leadership and decision-making," he wrote.
"Acknowledgement of these problems by the HSE is useless if they are unable to provide the leadership to deliver solutions.
"It is becoming clearer by the day to me that what is required is leadership by clinicians, medical, nursing and allied health professionals, the HSE having demonstrated so ably its lack of leadership," he added.
He also said he was so concerned at the nursing deficits in the hospital he wished to forego "sessional pay" due to him as clinical director and asked that the money be used to employ an extra neonatal nurse or midwife immediately.
"In the face of the inability of the HSE to take any meaningful action, it would be hypocritical for me to continue to write letters without myself taking any concrete steps to address these concerns," he wrote.
He also said yesterday that the health care system was "crumbling".
The Irish Nurses Organisation (INO) said Dr Vaughan's gesture served to highlight the difficulties which exist in the maternity unit and the desperation of clinicians as a result of the HSE's failure to address the serious risks created by grossly inadequate staffing levels at that hospital.
Tony Fitzpatrick, the local INO industrial relations officer, said the HSE must now either provide the additional staff required or curtail the services in the unit.
Based on last year's birth rate alone there was a deficit of 54.8 whole-time equivalent midwives at the hospital, he said.
The HSE said it welcomed the spirit of the offer by Dr Vaughan and "recognise the dedication and leadership it shows" by a senior clinician.
"We currently have 77.4 midwives at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital and 11.4 vacancies and are actively recruiting," it added.
It said recruitment of midwives was a priority and last year 21 additional midwives were recruited but that it continues to be difficult to attract experienced midwives.