THE SAFETY of patients is at risk due to gaps in a system used to validate the qualifications and competence of thousands of staff employed by the Health Service Executive, according to an unpublished internal audit.
The audit completed towards the end of last year found that a “national qualifications bank” was unable to ensure that almost a third (32 per cent) of staff were sufficiently qualified. While the proportion of qualifications assured in the case of nurses and doctors was relatively high, it was significantly lower among lower-ranking support staff.
The internal audit concluded that there were “risks to patient and staff safety due to deficits in the systems for assuring the qualifications and ongoing competence of clinical and other staff”.
Auditors queried the accuracy of the numbers provided by HSE management regarding the proportion of staff where experience or competency levels had been validated.
They also urged the speedy implementation of a national standardised qualifications bank.
The report gave these recommendations the highest possible level of urgency on a scale used by the HSE’s internal auditors.
Following a query from The Irish Times, the HSE said it was continuing to update the qualification or experience requirements for staff employed across the executive.
It said priority had been given to posts that required clinical, professional or legislative driven qualifications or where there had been active recruitment. The HSE said it had since increased the proportion of staff whose qualifications or experience required across various disciplines had been reviewed or assured.
Compliance rates are highest in the medical/dental sector (99.7 per cent), followed by nursing (93 per cent), health/social care categories (96 per cent) and management/ administration (91 per cent).
The assurance rates are significantly lower in other areas such as general support staff (12 per cent) and “other patient and client care” (21 per cent).
The HSE said the requirements for clinical or professional qualifications were dramatically reduced in areas outside the medical, nursing or social care categories. Where these qualifications existed, they had been included in its priority work.
In a statement, the HSE said the national qualifications bank was part of its overall system for assuring the qualifications, expertise and ongoing competence of clinical and other staff which it employed.
The process of establishing the qualifications bank was to take existing qualifications and experience requirements as issued by the Department of Health and, where necessary, update the qualification requirement or the experience required.
This function was previously carried out by the Department of Health and Children.
The HSE said a review of qualifications was required as some original qualification titles and levels were surpassed by new qualifications and experience requirements set out by the regulatory bodies or EU directives.
As existing qualifications were reviewed, they were then placed on the HSE’s intranet for use in recruitment to ensure new employees met the declared qualifications and experience standard. Where qualifications had not yet been reviewed, the pre-existing department qualification continued to be valid.