This article is from page 19 of the 2009-12-22 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 19 JPG
THE HEALTH Service Executive’s chief of acute hospitals in the mid- west said yesterday that absenteeism rates at the region’s main hospital will cost the HSE up to €3 million this year.
HSE Mid-West Director for Acute Hospitals, John Hennessy was com- menting on statistics that show ab- senteeism rates at Limerick’s Re- gional Hospital as one of the highest in the country.
During this year, the Limerick hospital took on responsibility for all acute surgery from Clare and for Clare A&E patients between 8pm ANeCe mor DeO MOC BENs
Out of 27 hospitals evaluated, the main hospital for the mid-west has the sixth highest absenteeism rate in the country.
Ennis General Hospital is not one of the hospitals evaluated by the HSE Healthstat office, but Mr Hennessy said that the absenteeism rates across the network of hospitals in the mid- west, including Ennis, “wouldn’t be unduly different” to Limerick’s ab- senteeism rates.
Figures show that the hours lost due to absenteeism at Limerick are run- ning at just under six per cent- down from eight per cent at the start of the year. Mr Hennessy said that the HSE target was to reduce absenteeism to four per cent by year end.
“There is a lot of disappointment that we haven’t achieved that and it represents a huge priority to make dramatic improvements on that. A lot of progress has been made and while there is something to show in terms of improvement, we are still a long way off the target figure of four per cent that is the norm for the health sector.
“We are happy there is progress, but not happy at the pace at which we are getting to grip with the problem. We have a fair bit to go yet to achieve the best in class, but we have a pretty vig- orous action plan to achieve that.”
The vast majority of sick leave at Limerick is certified.
Absenteeism rates by general sup- port staff that includes hospital por- ters, catering staff remain just under eight per cent, while other patient and client care that includes nurse assistants remains at 16 per cent.
Mr Hennessy said that absenteeism at the hospital last year cost €3 muil- lion to €4 million in direct replace- ment staff costs for nursing and gen- eral support staff.
“There is a slight reduction as we bring the figures back, but you are
still talking up to €3 million in lost opportunity as a direct result of sick leave and absenteeism this year.
He said that 16 per cent in absentee- ism rates “is unacceptable and run- ning at a level that no organisation can sustain and has to be brought back to a reasonable proportion as a matter of urgency. There is direct follow up by managers with individ- uals who are abusing the sick leave scheme”’.
“We have information on patterns of sick leave and that is telling us the issues of Monday morning and Fri- day sick leave patterns. The unions are quite supportive of the endeav- ours we are making on this, they are not unduly defending the indefensi- ble.”
Mr Hennessy said that absentee-
ism “is a huge problem and a regular feature of life for hospital managers of the disruption that this creates on a Monday morning or a ‘Tuesday morning”’.
With the levels of absenteeism amongst porter staff, Mr Hennessy said: “Typically, the services that are affected are the day wards, the thea- tres where delays getting patients into theatre. It is a very important cog in the system to keep the system going
“Tt results in a lot of lost productivi- ty and disruption for patients who are fasting for procedures,” he added.