Weekend Consultant Rosters Slash Emergency Department Waiting Times by Half
New weekend rostering arrangements have led to a 51% drop in patients waiting on trolleys during the August bank holiday weekend, as the HSE implements seven-day consultant coverage across acute hospitals.
The Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill, has revealed significant improvements in emergency department wait times following changes to consultant rostering patterns across Irish hospitals. The August bank holiday weekend saw trolley numbers drop by 51% compared to the St. Brigid's bank holiday weekend in February, with 55% fewer patients waiting on trolleys at 8am today compared to the Tuesday following St. Brigid's weekend.
The improvements follow a directive from HSE CEO Bernard Gloster in February, requiring Regional Executive Officers to change consultant rosters by the end of June. The new arrangements ensure consultants are ordinarily rostered on site during weekends and evenings, marking a shift towards delivering integrated services on a seven-day basis.
The Public Only Consultant Contract (POCC) now provides for rostered work from 8am to 10pm Monday to Friday, and 8am to 6pm on Saturdays. The HSE is focusing on maximising these contracted hours to increase access to services outside traditional working hours.
Minister Carroll MacNeill:
"As Minister for Health, I am focused on delivering meaningful improvements across our healthcare system. Central to this is the development of a 7-day health service, ensuring that patients can access essential care every day of the week. Progress has been made over the last number of bank holiday weekends to ensure that patients receive the care they need in a timely and efficient manner throughout the week."
The Minister emphasised that the increased presence of consultants on site over the August bank holiday weekend was a major factor in the dramatic reduction of trolley numbers. She noted that patient flow must be carefully managed by each hospital seven days a week, with the number of patients admitted and discharged kept balanced to avoid congestion.
Minister Carroll MacNeill:
"I extend my sincere thanks to the staff in Emergency Departments, and throughout hospital and community services for their work over the bank holiday weekend. Services again undertook significant work in the week preceding the bank holiday weekend to maximise discharges and patient flow, which was the key factor in ensuring that most sites had sufficient capacity to meet demands over the bank holiday weekend."
Several hospitals continue to face challenges in balancing capacity and demand. Connolly Hospital, Midlands Regional Hospital Tullamore, and University Hospital Waterford have been identified as sites requiring continued focus to optimise patient flow and avoid congestion.
The HSE has outlined plans for sustained focus on Urgent and Emergency Care performance in the coming weeks and months. Site-specific initiatives will include improved management of Delayed Transfer of Care, better access to diagnostics, and enhanced patient flow measures.
The roster changes were initially requested by Minister Carroll MacNeill following the St. Brigid's bank holiday weekend, when she asked the HSE to provide a deeper analysis of hospital consultant rostering across all acute hospitals. The focus was particularly on ensuring senior decision makers would be present during evenings, weekends, and public holidays.
The success of the new rostering arrangements represents a significant step towards the government's goal of developing a comprehensive seven-day health service, ensuring patients can access essential care throughout the week rather than experiencing delays during weekends and bank holidays.
