“A lot of support”: Mayo TD raises concerns over clerical staffing at Mayo hospitals

Mayo TD Rose Conway-Walsh has called for urgent approval and funding to secure permanent clerical support at Swinford District Hospital and Belmullet Community Hospital, warning that staffing changes are placing additional pressure on clinical teams and could affect patient care.

Raising the issue in the Dáil on Tuesday, November 10, the Sinn Féin TD said one clerical post at each hospital played an important role in keeping local services operating, supporting therapists and medical staff with referrals, patient records and appointment scheduling.

Deputy Conway-Walsh said the Swinford post supported five physiotherapists and two speech and language therapists, while the clerical officer in Belmullet provided administrative assistance to several therapists and other medical staff.

She argued that the posts represented a relatively small cost but provided essential support, particularly in rural communities where patients already face geographical and transport barriers when accessing healthcare.

“They are essential to safe, accessible community healthcare,” she said. “Those posts represent a tiny amount of money but provide a lot of support.”

Deputy Conway-Walsh said the use of agency staff had created uncertainty over the future of the positions, with approval required to convert the posts into permanent roles.

She told the Dáil that patients were facing longer waits and rescheduled appointments as clinical staff were left to absorb administrative duties alongside their own workloads.

The Sinn Féin TD also said the loss of experienced clerical staff risked removing valuable knowledge of local patients, referral pathways and services built up over months.

She said correspondence from the HSE confirmed that the posts were within an agency conversion approval system, but no firm decision date had been provided. The process, she was told, was subject to national pay and staffing controls, budgetary restrictions and available funding.

“Through my correspondence with the HSE, I have received confirmation that these posts are in an agency conversion approval system but no firm decision date has been provided,” the Deputy told the Dáil.

The TD said the matter was particularly urgent in Swinford, where the existing clerical officer’s contract was due to end on November 11.

She also highlighted healthcare assistant posts in Belmullet that she said had been awaiting conversion from agency to permanent positions for four years.

Deputy Conway-Walsh called on the Minister for Health to approve the agency conversions without further delay and ensure appropriate clerical cover remained in place while decisions were pending.

“Agency conversion is subject to national pay and staffing controls, budgetary restrictions and available funding. This is the dead hand of the Minister,” she said.

Responding on behalf of the Minister for Health, Minister of State Jennifer Murnane O’Connor acknowledged the importance of both hospitals and the concerns raised about the implications of staffing decisions for patients and clinical teams.

The Minister of State said the HSE had reduced the agency administrative post in Swinford from one whole-time equivalent to 0.5 whole-time equivalent as part of measures to reduce reliance on off-framework agency staffing.

“The HSE has advised that administrative duties associated with the reduced hours are currently being managed locally through existing staffing arrangements,” she said.

In Belmullet, the one whole-time equivalent agency administrative post remained in place, and the HSE had advised that there were currently no issues with administrative staffing.

Minister Murnane O’Connor stressed that clerical and administrative staff made an important contribution to patient care by supporting records management, communications and the day-to-day organisation of services.

She said there was no blanket recruitment freeze across the HSE, with recruitment and replacement of existing staff able to proceed within approved pay allocations and subject to the necessary approvals.

However, she acknowledged that additional recruitment approval requirements applied in HSE West and North West as part of measures to address regional overspending.

“There is no blanket recruitment freeze. Recruitment, including the replacement of existing staff, can continue within approved pay allocations, subject to the necessary approvals. This does not mean that every vacancy is automatically filled,” Minister Murnane O’Connor said.

Deputy Conway-Walsh challenged the approach, arguing that a lack of local services could result in patients remaining in hospital beds for longer, contributing to pressure on Mayo University Hospital and ambulance delays.

The TD also raised concerns about newly qualified nurses who, she said, had been offered positions in Mayo, Sligo and Galway hospitals before subsequently being told that their jobs would not proceed.

“I want the Minister of State to ask the Minister why she is forcing young nurses onto the dole who were given jobs in Mayo University Hospital and in Sligo and Galway hospitals. They are now being told the jobs are not going to start after all. Why are we pushing nurses and clinical staff onto the dole,” Minister Conway-Walsh said.

She warned that healthcare delivery in Mayo was under severe pressure and that staff were experiencing exhaustion.

In her closing response, Minister Murnane O’Connor said she would raise the concerns directly with Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill and ask the HSE to respond to Deputy Conway-Walsh on the staffing issues at both hospitals.

She reiterated that the HSE needed to consider the wider implications of staffing decisions and ensure resources were used effectively to support patients and staff.