Sinn Féin spokesperson on Health David Cullinane TD has today launched his report on stakeholder engagement: Understanding the Causes of Hospital Waiting Lists.
The report reflects observations on creating efficiencies in the health service and opportunities for policy development gleaned from a series of stakeholder engagements over three months across 14 hospitals and 14 constituencies across the island.
Teachta Cullinane said that the series of engagements has shown him that there is a real appetite and vision for change right across the health service, and the health and social care workforce.
He said:
“Today, I launched a report on stakeholder engagement, which I have conducted across the island over the last three months.
“I have met with groups across the state and in the north, including 14 hospitals, learning from their experience with healthcare delivery and ideas for healthcare reform.
“The report reflects on these conversations, and the changes that health and social care managers and professionals told me that they not only want, but need.
“In my experience, there is a huge appetite for change. Many hospitals and organisations know exactly what that change needs to look like, but they are frustrated by laborious processes that cause recruitment and capital planning to take far too long.
“We need to manage the health service better, and we need to make capital projects and recruitment happen quicker.
“We also need to start training enough graduates and change the culture of the workplace to retain more of our doctors and nurses.
“The report outlines my findings from this series of engagements and lays out, in broad terms, the root causes of ever-expanding hospital waiting lists.
“It also lays out a series of practical, realistic, and deliverable solutions to make the health service work better.”
