Limerick professor says health service has 'taken eye off the ball'

A LEADING Professor at the University of Limerick says health service has "taken eye off the ball".

Speaking in a new video as part of the Irish Hospital Consultants Association’s (IHCA) Care Can’t Wait campaign, Prof Orla Muldoon says too much emphasis is being placed on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and not enough on providing the capacity and resources required for treating patients.

The Professor of Psychology explains how this in turn has created a ‘management class’ in the public health service of which many decision-makers are not medical professionals.

She questions why the medical and surgical specialists and leaders in hospitals are not “trusted to manage the system” or the people they care for on a daily basis.

She said: “We have this paradox where patients, once they get into the system, feel the quality of care is good. Yet, we don’t really believe the people providing that care can take leadership roles in the delivery of the service.”

EXCLUSIVE: Taoiseach makes pledge on new 96-bed unit at UHL

Recent studies show almost eight in every 10 Consultants are screening positive for burnout as they struggle to cope in an overstretched public hospital system where demand has outstripped supply.

The IHCA have previously stated that a laser like focus is needed to deliver the two vital resources every patient needs – hospital beds and hospital Consultants.

The Association says 5,000 hospital beds are needed by 2030 to meet current and expected demand, given 870,000 people are currently waiting to be assessed or treated by a hospital Consultant including almost 97,000 children.

Prof Muldoon believes that the Government has taken their “eye off the ball” when it comes to the management structure within our health service.

In the 10 years since the introduction of Consultant pay inequity, Outpatient waiting lists have surged by 200,000 (52%) and Inpatient/Day Case waiting lists have increased by 29,800 (58%).

While there has been a more than a 300-fold increase in patients waiting longer than a year for hospital treatment.