Had a look at where this quote came from https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/special_committee_on_covid-19_response/2020-07-21/4/ (towards the end) 1/ https://twitter.com/antcon7062/status/1287760019472121857

@DrMarianneH @MlMcNamaraTD mentioned your post call tweet in the Special Committee Covid debate https://twitter.com/drmarianneh/status/1283683608616734720?s=21

He also mentioned the #24NoMore campaign and how nothing seems to have happened. Unfortunately still going on! 2/

@MlMcNamaraTD also mentioned higher risk of slippage of PPE when tired.

So true! My first needlestick injury was in hour 20 of a 24 hour shift during an emergency c-section.

Definitely inadequate staffing!
3/

Have done rota before and not enough NCHDs to fill all roles, eg on ward, on call, post take, clinic, annual leave, study leave, night shift, etc. and that is before anyone gets sick!

Pretty basic manpower planning tbh.

Also pointed the out to Medical Manpower at the time.
4/

Quite a damning indictment that ‘we still have the same problem today that I faced over 40 years ago’ as per Dr Kevin Kelleher!
5/

A tad disingenuous of @HSE_HR National Director of HR to state ‘we are obliged to adhere to the EU Working Time Directive’.

Or that there are 1,100 more doctors in the system when these are simply those who had their finals brought forward and started their intern year early.6/

EWTD is clear - in every 24 hours a worker is entitled to a minimum of 11 consecutive hours rest

Hence a maximum shift length of 13 hours.

But ... HSE using a derogation - NCHDs can be rostered for maximum 24 hours

https://www.hse.ie/eng/staff/resources/hr-circulars/hr-circular-028-2017-guidance-on-progressing-ewtd-compliance.pdf
7/

As reported by @CathyReilly in @med_indonews last year in https://www.medicalindependent.ie/ewtd-an-elusive-goal/ HSE statistics report mixed compliance with 24hour shifts and only 4/44 hospitals returning data ‘recorded their NCHD working hours as fully compliant with the 48-hour working week in July.’
8/

So ~1,100 new interns and 734 outgoing interns, so increase of ~366 doctors in system.

Hope there will be corresponding increase in scheme training places next year or will the increased numbers be left in limbo scrabbling for stand alone posts like this year or emigrating?
9/

As per @Dr_RPM https://twitter.com/dr_rpm/status/1287635852756168704?s=21 and HSE report need 38% more trainees and increase number of GP trainees from 200 annually to 500.

Planning for this needs to start now. Applications close before Christmas for July 2021’s intake!
10/ https://twitter.com/dr_rpm/status/1287635852756168704

Where to get all these trainees?

Hmmmm - One good place to start would be for @DonnellyStephen to amend the Medical Practitioners Act and allow non-EU trained doctors access the Trainee Specialist Division so they can apply for training schemes.
11/

TBH it is the least the non-EU trained doctors who have kept the Irish Health Service going over the years, and especially over the last few months deserve.

Amendment was a listed as a priority in the last program for government and got as far as the Seanad, but now lapsed.
12/

Unfortunately amendment of the MPA not even included in this program for government!!!

@mohsinkamal169 @IMO_IRL @IHCA_IE @PaddyHillery @Antcon7062 @ProfSuperJunior @DrZeroCraic @MichealMartinTD @LeoVaradkar @ritakj @HSELive @EamonRyan @NDTP_HSE