Ombudsman’s report on childhood development checks must not gather dust: staffing shortages remain the elephant in the room
Ombudsman’s report on childhood development checks must not gather dust: staffing shortages remain the elephant in the room - The Labour Party
- Welcome focus from Ombudsman for Children and commitments agreed with HSE.
- There are fewer public health nurses than 5 years ago. Unless staffing shortages are addressed, these commitments will not succeed.
Labour health spokesperson Marie Sherlock TD has called on the Minister for Health and the Minister of State for Public Health to urgently address the crisis in public health nursing. Deputy Sherlock said the Milestones Missed report from the Ombudsman for Children highlights a ticking time bomb of significant developmental, behavioural and health needs going unidentified among children.
Deputy Sherlock said:
“I welcome today’s Milestones Missed report published by the Ombudsman for Children’s Office and the HSE’s commitment to establish a national oversight group to monitor implementation of the report’s recommendations. Public health nursing has been in crisis for several years under Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil. It requires clear political attention and focus from Minister Carroll MacNeill and Minister Murnane O’Connor. Public health nurses are the first line of defence in our health service, yet they are treated as its poor relation.
“The elephant in the room is staffing. An oversight group is welcome, but we need a clear commitment from the Minister and her Department that public health nursing will be prioritised and will not fall further victim to recruitment restrictions. Without a focus on staffing, commitments will not be fulfilled. We have a public health nursing workforce stretched to capacity. Public health nursing is one of the most effective and least expensive parts of our health system. It has served our communities well for decades.
“For all Government’s talk about increased health staffing, the number of public health nurses has fallen under Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil health ministers. There are now 47 fewer public health nurses than five years ago. That is unbelievable and flies in the face of commitments to keep care in the community. The Ministers must set out a clear plan to increase staffing and restore public health nursing services where they have been restricted.
“Figures released to my office show that 7 of the 20 integrated health areas have restricted some of their public health nursing services due to staffing shortages and demand. It is alarming that children in these areas and beyond are simply not getting the developmental checks they require. This report highlights that thousands of children across Ireland are affected.
“Public health nurses are critical to identifying developmental, behavioural and emotional issues at an early stage and ensuring early intervention. They also play a vital role in safeguarding vulnerable and at-risk children, often identifying welfare concerns that might otherwise go unnoticed. Their role in the community, including in caring for older and more vulnerable people, must be valued and protected.
“It should alarm us all, from both a safeguarding and a health perspective, that thousands of children, including many who are vulnerable or require early intervention, are not being seen for developmental checks.
“We must also examine pathways into public health nursing for other nursing professionals. It makes no sense that, for example, paediatric nurses cannot access public health nursing training because they have not trained in general nursing. We need to look at how we can expand the workforce, bring a wider range of skills into the profession and retain staff.
“I am calling on the Minister for Health and the Minister of State for Public Health to commit publicly to providing the resources and staffing needed to expand public health nursing. That must include a dedicated workforce development plan aimed at ending the caseload prioritisation procedures in the seven integrated health areas and ensuring every child receives the developmental checks they need.”