• The Government must take note of the data in this report to address what is a crisis in medical workforce planning’
   
• The Medical Council’s Workforce Intelligence Report, 2023 was released today (Thursday)

Thursday August 15, 2024. The Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) has said that the Medical Council’s Workforce Intelligence Report for 2023 highlights the continuing lack of an effective medical workforce plan in Ireland, warning that there is an unsustainable reliance on too few doctors to meet consistently rising demand.

The Workforce Intelligence Report was released today (Thursday).

The report highlights significant data that should inform policy around medical workforce planning and emphasises the challenges the medical workforce is facing across all specialties. 

The IMO has consistently highlighted the deficits arising from the fact that successive Governments have not had adequate recruitment and retention initiatives nor funded sufficient training posts so as to ensure we have the right number of doctors to meet patient need.

Speaking today, Dr Denis McCauley, President of the IMO, said: “This report emphasises the scale of the challenge and the urgent need for action. In particular it confirms our own findings of the over-reliance the health system has on our NCHD colleagues, and the very significant issues faced by NCHDs:

• IMO research conducted in 2024 shows that 83% of NCHDs are working excessive, illegal and unsafe working hours in contravention of the Organisation of Working Time Act which is showing an increase in illegal working hours since 2023.
• The Medical Council data confirms our reliance on international doctors to deliver our health services, but their commitment to our patients is not matched by the HSE or the Government who are failing to provide them with training opportunities and career structures.”

In relation to consultants and GPs, the report highlights the need to increase the workforce significantly so as to address the shortfall expected through retirements and ensure that there are sufficient numbers of specialists within the system to train our NCHDs.  

Challenging working environments and increased pressures are leading to burnout which in turn leads to emigration for our NCHDs or early retirement for GPs and consultants. 

In terms of GPs, the data from the report confirms the IMO position that more supports need to be put in place to enable newly qualified GPs to establish in practice. Critically the system must address the work/life balance issues and flexible working arrangements if we are to have any success in retaining doctors throughout their career.

Dr McCauley said: “We have a growing population which increases the demand for healthcare. The Government must take note of the data in this report to address what is a crisis in medical workforce planning.”

He added that consultants were also experiencing intense pressure, with many retiring early as a result. “Consultants regularly work above and beyond their contracted hours yet are consistently and incorrectly faced with charges of low productivity. This is unacceptable,” he said.

“Ultimately, the real losers here are our patients; doctors who are overworked and burnt out cannot provide the optimal care that is needed every day, which eventually leads to poorer outcomes. It is essential that doctor numbers, bed numbers and funding are increased in line with demand, along with the implementation of effective recruitment and retention strategies, if we are to see demonstrable progress in this area.”