Recruitment challenges raised at St Vincent’s board meeting

Concerns about recruitment have been discussed by the board of the St Vincent’s Healthcare Group (SVHG). 

According to minutes of the board meeting in March, staffing difficulties at St Vincent’s University Hospital (SVUH) and St Michael’s Hospital were discussed. 

In regard to SVUH, the board noted its “awareness of the challenges in looking at new innovative ways to recruit and retain staff”, according to the minutes seen by the Medical Independent following a Freedom of Information request. 

The hospital had “a huge challenge to try and recruit 200-250 nurses in the context of safe staffing requirements and ICU developments and plans are in place for an overseas recruitment campaign in this regard. The 8 per cent staff turnover is ongoing.” 

However, the board noted that despite significant challenges faced by SVHG during the pandemic, “it continues to attract and appoint very high-quality candidates to our consultant cohort.” 

Meanwhile, the meeting also heard that a board sub-committee would undertake a “cultural” survey in SVUH. 

“The initial focus is to assess where the hospital stands in terms of co-operation, engagement, and morale post-pandemic. A further exercise ‘talent and succession review’ to assess SVHG’s current strengths in key roles, identify the development plans in place for these individuals, their potential successors and any associated succession risks, is also to be undertaken.”