Pressure needs to be put on to ensure that staff for 72 new beds at University Hospital Waterford is funded.
That’s according to Waterford Sinn Fein TD David Cullinane who has been informed by the Health Service Executive that no formal confirmation has been received regarding recruitment of additional staff for the new Dunmore Wing.
Two floors of the new building will be occupied by the hospice with the top three being used by the hospital.
David Cullinane says if there is no funding for additional staff, beds will have to be closed in older wings in the hospital.
“The top three floors of the wing will involve 72 additional isolation beds and new hospital beds.
“The problem is that hospital management have not been given any additional funding to recruit the staff which are necessary to open those 72 beds, nor have they been given any additional operational funding which will be necessary.
“If they don’t receive any additional funding and if they don’t receive the addition staff, be in nurses, junior doctors, radiographers, administration staff they will have to pull those staff from existing services.”
He says the building will be ready in July and management at the hospital need the go ahead now to start recruiting.
“It is a concern that while we’re getting to a point where the contractors will formally handover the building to the hospital next week, it will be kitted out over the summer and ready to be opened in July.
“The hospital management still haven’t been given any indication or confirmation of additional funding for recruitment of staff or any additional operational funding to ensure that this can open and add capacity to the hospital which we all know is necessary.”
Deputy Cullinane says while the cardiac issue has been highlighted there are a number of other projects at University Hospital Waterford that need to be funded.
“There is plans to build a centre of excellence for orthopaedics – which I’m in favour of and which would be a huge positive for the region and for Waterford.
“There’s also plans to open a new eye clinic to do cataracts in the hospital which needs signing off on funding.
“And we need the additional funding for these 72 beds.”
