EDs hit by trainees shortage

19 March 2010

HOSPITAL emergency departments may have to restrict their hours due to a shortage of junior doctors.

The Irish Association for Emergency Medicine (IAEM) has raised serious concerns over difficulties in recruiting trainees to the country’s emergency departments. The IAEM, which represents hospital emergency specialists, said there were 34 vacant senior house officer posts (out of around 200) and 23 unfilled registrar posts (out of around 130) in the specialty.

In a statement, the IAEM said: “While there have been difficulties in recruiting doctors to posts in other specialties, the requirement of EDs to provide 24-hour cover, the intensity of the workload and the nature of shift work means that EDs are particularly hard-hit.”

The association, as reported on irishhealth.com, warned of longer patient waiting times because of the vacancies, with some emergency departments using GPs to cover shifts. The IAEM also called for an urgent increase in emergency medicine consultants.