STAFF at University Hospital Kerry have told how morale is low in the facility because they are unable to give their best service to patients due to chronic under-staffing and a lack of resources.
It has been revealed that some agency staff are refusing shifts in the accident and emergency department due to the over-burdening workload and several nurses are reportedly out of work due to stress-related illnesses, with more likely to follow.
The crisis was raised in Dáil Éireann by Deputy Martin Ferris who has called on the Health Service Executive to investigate work practices in the hospital.
He said he has received “numerous complaints” from staff across all departments.
Deputy Ferris said Dr Louis Keary, a respected cardiologist, has also signalled his intention to resign his position at the hospital and the Kerry TD believes it is due to a lack of support.
“This means the hospital will be operating with just one part-time cardiologist tending to hundreds of patients. This is totally unacceptable to my constituents and it would not tolerated anywhere else,” he remarked.
The staff morale issue is the latest crisis to hit the hospital following a review of 46,235 scans carried out by a consultant radiologist, who no longer works at the hospital, some of which led to delayed diagnosis in cancer patients.
This latest development follows reports from a Tralee GP this week of a 12-hour wait for some patients to be seen in the hospital’s casualty unit which is a situation not being helped by people struggling to get same-day appointments with their family doctors throughout the county, particularly in Killarney.
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