75% psychiatry vacancy rate in WHSCT
A 75 per cent vacancy rate for psychiatrists in the Western Trust has been described as ‘shocking’ by the chair of the Stormont Health Committee.
Philip McGuigan said the shortfall was highlighted to MLAs during a recent meeting with consultants doctors.
“In the course of that meeting, we were told that there is a 75 per cent vacancy rate for psychiatrists in the Western Trust. That figure shocked me,” the Sinn Féin MLA admitted.
He said proposed new Safe and Effective Staffing legislation is designed to address shortfalls.
"Under the legislation, the Western Trust will say, ‘This is the level’. How will it recruit? Given the current conflicts within almost every level with regard to pay, workforce and people leaving, where will we get the staff?” said the Sinn Féin MLA.
Phil Rodgers, director of workforce policy in the Department of Health, acknowledged there are recruitment and retention challenges in the Western Trust.
“When we look at our macro figures, we see growth across the HSC workforce. We see more doctors, more nurses and more social workers.
"That pattern is consistent, and it has been growing — year on year — for a number of years.
"We recognise that there are specific examples, which might be by location or by speciality — in the case that you have cited of psychiatry in the Western Trust, it is location and speciality — where there are challenges in recruitment or perhaps retention,” Mr. Rodgers told a recent meeting of the Stormont Health Committee.
He said the new legislation will require Trusts to come up action plans to properly address workforce deficits.