Latest news with #NiamhGriffin
Irish Examiner
6 days ago
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Irish Examiner view: Health staff recruitment crisis underlined by HSE's inability to hire temporary agency workers
Our hard-pressed health service is not short of challenges, with new issues materialising on a regular basis. Now a whole new problem in staffing has emerged. As revealed here this week by Health Correspondent Niamh Griffin, worker shortages are now so acute that the HSE has warned that it is sometimes unable to fill vacancies even with agency staff, because agencies are themselves struggling to recruit health workers. A familiar problem is contributing to these shortages — agencies are reporting that while there are general shortages of workers on a global scale, one specific issue in Ireland is the shortage of accommodation. The housing crisis has affected almost every part of Irish life, and now it appears that a general lack of accommodation for health workers is having a direct impact on the supply line of staff. This impact can be clearly seen in the numbers involved. As reported here, in 2021, disability services spent €40m on agency staff, but last year that figure reached €77.9m, and by May this year, €37.2m had already been spent. Similar increases can be seen in other areas of the health service — the mental health division spent €71.5m on temporary workers four years ago, and in 2024, that figure was €106.3m. The net result is that some of the most vulnerable people in our society are being cared for by agency staff, which is far from ideal. The British Medical Journal, for instance, reported some years ago on the link between heavy use of agency staff and worse experiences for patients and staff alike. The Government must address this issue by revisiting its recruitment strategy, one which has been much criticised by health unions. It must also rein in expenditure in this area, described accurately by an opposition TD as 'runaway agency spending'. This is particularly necessary in the context of the unfinished Children's Hospital and its associated costs. Irish passports in demand in the US A surge in the number of US applicants for Irish passports earlier this year was linked to the return of Donald Trump to the White House. This yielded a new entry for the dictionary — Trumpugees — as well as a couple of celebrity applicants such as Rosie O'Donnell. Mayor TD Paul Lawless caused a stir when he called for a 'hierarchy' of passport processing, with Irish residents given preference over American citizens. Those new applicants benefited from improved efficiency in the Passport Office's operation, which has reduced the turnaround time for most adult online renewal applications to two working days. This is a standard of service which other State organisations and bodies would do well to emulate. However, Aontú TD Paul Lawless has called for a 'hierarchy' of passport processing, telling this newspaper: 'I'm aware of some cases where American citizens are applying for passports because they just want to frame it, or to be able to say that they have an Irish passport. These individuals should be put to the bottom of the waiting list, especially at times where Irish families are struggling to get passports. This is a delicate point: Passports cannot be issued on the proviso that they are used in a certain way or at particular times. It is difficult to see how the holder of an Irish passport in America could be compelled to use it, or whether such conditions could be attached to its issuance. However, we are right to focus on any action, or inaction, which might have the potential to lower the standing of our passport, which has an international currency many nations envy. An Irish passport is an expression of our specific sovereignty, which is important, but it also identifies the bearer as a citizen of a country which is independent in its outlook, non-colonial in its international relations, and supportive of those in need. Many of those seeking Irish passports want to be seen as sharing those values, which makes it all the more important to protect our passport's reputation. What's your view on this issue? You can tell us here Taylor Swift album ...Ready for it? Music fans all over Ireland are counting down the hours to the Oasis concerts this weekend, pulling old parkas and bucket hats from the wardrobe, and preparing themselves for the warm glow of nostalgia which will start when the Manchester band recreate the '90s in Croke Park. It seems like only yesterday we were dealing with the angst of Ticketmaster interactions and soaring hotel prices for an entirely different musical act — when Taylor Swift sold out the Aviva Stadium last summer. Taylor Swift on stage during her three sold-out dates at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on the Eras Tour in June of last year. Liam McBurney/PA The US star shifted approximately 150,000 tickets for those three concerts in Dublin as part of her Eras Tour, which ran for almost two full years and generated approximately $1bn (€856.7m) in revenue. Yesterday, we learned that Swift is to release a new album. The news came following some mysterious online hints which her fans quickly seized upon, and frenzied speculation hardened into confirmation when the singer announced the news in one of the most 21st-century publicity strategies imaginable — she displayed a blurred copy of the album cover in a social media clip promoting her boyfriend Travis Kelce's podcast, New Heights. The new release will be Swift's 12th studio album and is entitled The Life of a Showgirl, and eagerly-anticipated is an understatement. Last year, her 11th album, The Tortured Poets Department, broke the Spotify record for being the most-streamed album in a day. The new album may challenge for that title. Further details will emerge tomorrow, and expect speculation about a new tour to begin at the same time. Hotel room prices are sure to spike accordingly.
Irish Examiner
19-06-2025
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Nothing will improve at UHL without a problem-solving culture
The latest news from an 'out of control' University Hospital Limerick, as reported by Niamh Griffin in Wednesday's Irish Examiner, will have caused anxiety for thousands of patients and their families throughout the Mid-West. The circumstances described are familiar to anyone who has ever attended the hospital's A&E. My first impression of University Hospital Limerick, as someone who worked for years as a Lean strategist in the corporate sector, was that it didn't have a problem-solving culture. File picture: Brendan Gleeson Over the past few years I have been through University Hospital Limerick's patient journey many times with loved ones. My first impression of the hospital, as someone who worked for years as a Lean strategist in the corporate sector, was that it didn't have a problem-solving culture. The contrast between being a professional in a solution-orientated workplace where everyone is focused on the same goal, and being the helpless helper to a vulnerable patient where the system seems designed to frustrate people trying to do their jobs, couldn't be greater. Over the course of many, many admissions and discharges with different family members, I learned my first impression was right. Raising concerns In the summer of 2023, my family and I encountered many problems in UHL. Accident and emergency was a nightmare on every visit and we had numerous issues on the wards, both with prescriptions and with obtaining critical medical information on discharge. I complained and information was logged on UHL's 'electronic incident system' which is probably similar to what Dr Suzanne Crowe wrote about in her excellent article in the Irish Examiner, . I knew I'd never hear about these complaints again and I was right. Meeting with the hospital PALS (Patient Advocacy and Liaison Service) filled me with hope. However, this was short lived as they explained that no action would be taken. I was advised to email the HSE at 'Your Service, Your Say'. That didn't make sense, because what I needed was immediate help from a healthcare professional in UHL. I was told "that's the complaints process". What's the point of raising concerns if no action is taken? The more time we spent in UHL, the more mistakes we experienced - serious mistakes on prescriptions, little to no communication on discharge, inaccurate information on discharge documents, blood results and changes to medications not followed up on – potentially life-threatening mistakes became the norm. I submitted three written complaints to the hospital on its unsafe prescription process, unsafe discharge process and unsafe practices in accident & emergency. Naively I thought UHL would implement immediate improvements, yet I was wrong. In response to one of my complaints, UHL outlined a list of actions they were going to take yet not one action they had actually done. A response to a complaint with no action taken is archaic and only serves to further frustrate patients and their families. What's the point of having a complaints process if no action is taken? In January 2025 we ended up back in UHL's A&E department, which was the start of a new low in terms of my perception of UHL's problem-solving culture. The A&E department was still overcrowded and a frightening place to be for patients. It was difficult to get information, slow to get tests done, slow to get results back and test results weren't evaluated properly. Keeping patients on trolleys for days and the consequent lack of privacy, comfort, dignity and safety of patients has over time become normalised. Inside UHL's Emergency Department on March 16, 2024. Picture: Mike Daly Because no improvements had been made after my previous complaints, during our time in UHL, almost two years later, we experienced exactly the same problems as before yet the impact had become more life-threatening. We experienced mistake after mistake, many missed medical evaluations - poor processes delivering unsafe healthcare. All of the above isn't surprising, because without a problem-solving culture, problems aren't solved. When problems aren't solved, they grow bigger, the impact to the patient becomes more serious and more patients are impacted. This is referred to as the snowball effect - what starts as a snowflake, if not stopped, will one day become an avalanche. I yet again submitted three written complaints to UHL on exactly the same processes in my previous complaints - their unsafe prescription process, unsafe discharge process and unsafe practices in accident & emergency. I hope UHL take my complaints seriously and solve their problems so other patients don't experience what we did - yet I don't have much faith that they will. Without a problem-solving culture, organisations will go around in circles trying to solve their problems only to find that these problems grow bigger, become more widespread and affect more people, in this case UHL's staff and patients. A problem-solving culture Problem-solving is a key element of Lean, which is a way of thinking and working that focuses on creating value for customers (in this case care for patients) while minimising waste which is everything that gets in the way of delivering value (care). Lean is a culture of deep respect for people, respect for their time, skills and their unlimited potential. One way a hospital can show this level of respect for both their staff and patients is by implementing a robust problem-solving culture. I have immense respect for UHL's outstanding staff, they always went above and beyond delivering the best care to my loved ones. In stark contrast, the hospital management's inability to solve their problems caused my family and I much stress and resulted in unsafe healthcare on numerous occasions. In a problem-solving culture, staff and patients are encouraged to highlight problems, problems are made visible and not hidden in electronic systems, problems are discussed with leadership, staff are trained on and involved in problem-solving which is recognised and rewarded. This culture creates an environment of trust and engagement which leads to safer healthcare. Siobhain Danaher: 'A problem-solving culture creates a more skilled workforce, builds immense trust, increases engagement and solves problems, all delivering safer healthcare.' Without a problem-solving culture, staff and patients are afraid to speak up and nothing changes even if they do. This is dangerous as problems just grow bigger and become more widespread affecting more staff and more patients. This culture creates an environment of mistrust and disengagement which leads to a reduction in safe healthcare – something that has been seen over and over in UHL. I want what everyone who attends UHL wants - safe healthcare that we can trust. A robust problem-solving culture delivers just that. Here are the first steps to embedding a problem solving culture: Commitment from leadership: If you don't have commitment from leadership, stop right there, culture change only occurs from the top. Consistent leadership presence at the frontline, supporting those who deliver care to patients is essential to a problem-solving culture. Upskill your team: Problem-solving is a continuous learning curve and there is no end to the depths of understanding you can reach through problem-solving. The more staff that are upskilled in problem-solving, the more problems will be solved, the safer the healthcare. Highlight problems in real time: When you notice a problem, the problem is at its smallest, but the longer you leave a problem, the bigger it will become. This is why highlighting problems in real time and solving problems as soon as possible is so important. Make problems visible: The most dangerous problems are those hidden away in electronic systems, collecting digital dust, never again to see the light of day. Making problems visible ensures they receive the spotlight and attention they deserve. Create an escalation process: An escalation process ensures problems are escalated to leadership as soon as possible, and that leadership's progress in solving these problems is monitored visually - no more hiding behind electronic systems. Recognise and reward: 'Problems are treasures, reward the messenger' is a wonderful quote from Pascal Dennis. This sums up a problem-solving culture where those who bring problems to light are rewarded for finding such treasures – the very opposite of what we hear about in most whistleblower accounts that make the news. A problem-solving culture creates a more skilled workforce, builds immense trust, increases engagement and solves problems, all delivering safer healthcare. Isn't that what every healthcare environment should be aiming for? Siobhain Danaher is a freelance Lean strategist with years of experience in corporate environments and the pharmaceutical sector. Read More Why is Beaumont getting a new emergency department and not UHL? asks campaigner
