Sinn Féin health spokesperson David Cullinane TD has called on the Minister for Health to intervene urgently after hospital managers in the Midwest issued serious warnings about staffing shortages and patient safety risks ahead of winter.

Cullinane noted that hospital managers reported more than 350 vacant posts across the Midwest region, with similar concerns raised at Cork University Hospital about delays in filling funded and clinically prioritised positions.

He stated that hospital managers are outlining risks to services as winter approaches, with priority posts remaining unfilled due to recruitment restrictions and delays in approving appointments.

Cullinane said managers are being held responsible for service safety while being denied authority to recruit needed staff. He attributed the situation to government policy, including recruitment ceilings, financial controls, and layers of approval.

He warned that hospitals are heading into winter without adequate staff and capacity, with demand exceeding resources and planned treatment being cancelled. He said this leads to delays, prolonged suffering, and risks to patient safety.

Cullinane called for immediate action to address risks identified by hospital managers, including providing health regions with funding and authority to fill urgent and clinically prioritised posts, removing restrictions and approval delays, and issuing outstanding permanent job offers to newly qualified nurses and midwives.

He also called for measures to retain experienced staff, fully fund and implement safe staffing requirements, add staffed hospital and community capacity for winter, and fund the promised 3,000 additional hospital beds with associated staff and running costs.

He urged progress on planned elective hospitals and a Model 3 hospital for the Midwest with clear funding commitments and delivery dates. He called for staffing in primary and community services to enable earlier care access and avoid unnecessary admissions, and for workers to deliver approved home care hours.

Cullinane also called for more rehabilitation and step-down beds with teams to support recovery and safe discharge. He said every health region needs a funded winter plan with deadlines and accountability for filling vacancies, adding capacity, and protecting planned treatment.