Staff at St Luke’s Hospital were this week shocked and dismayed by a memo circulated by management, which insinuated that as a result of budget over-rides, staff wages may not be paid from October.
The INMO union has said that nursing staff were extremely upset and concerned at the memo which was sent from the general manager.
The incident has since been clarified and management has outlined that wages will be paid as normal throughout the year.
The hospital has run overbudget to the tune of 2.4 million euro which is a worrying statistic for the general manager.
A statement from the HSE said that in order to ensure the planned delivery of services throughout 2011, St Luke’s must work to remain within budget so that resources are prioritised and that core activities, including emergency treatment and cancer services, are maintained.
It added, “patient care is the hospital’s priority and the management team continue to work closely with staff to ensure that any impact on patient services are minimised; this is central to all discussions around cost containment within the hospital.
“St Luke’s has been actively working on cost containment initiatives and, to date, savings have been achieved through reductions in overtime, staff travel and subsistence, better use of generic drugs, more efficient use of locum doctors and utilising procurement deals negotiated nationally and locally. The focus at all times is to achieve savings by obtaining better value for money and by continuing to introduce efficiencies in how the hospital does its business e.g. initiatives introduced under the public service agreement.
Dr Garry Courtney, clinical director for St Luke’s Hospital said, “while there is no doubt that there are financial challenges to be faced, St Luke’s, like all other hospitals, must comply with its statutory obligations and remain within its allocated budget. Every effort will continue to be made to do that in a way that has the least impact on patients and clients.
“Staff in St Luke’s are aware of the ongoing requirement to maintain services within budget and are to be commended for their ongoing professionalism, commitment to patient care and the initiative shown every day in working to maintain access for patients to the full range of services provided at St Luke’s.
“The management board of St Luke’s acknowledge this and thank staff for their co-operation in seeking to ensure that, in these challenging times, any impact on patient services is minimised.”
The statement added that St Luke’s priority is to deliver the level of service set out at the beginning of the year in the HSE South’s Regional Service Plan 2011. This activity includes 46,920 Out Patient attendances at its clinics, 37,325 presentations at its Emergency Department, 14,648 inpatients treated, 11,024 day cases and more than 2,144 births.
