Workforce shortages creating service delivery challenges

Challenges currently facing endocrinology in Ireland include the need for “more resources, more endocrinology posts, more nursing posts,” according to the IES’s Annual Meeting local organiser.

Dr Marcia Bell, Consultant Endocrinologist, Galway University Hospital, who co-ordinated this year’s meeting, told MI that “the highlights [of the meeting] were probably the atmosphere, the collegiality, the collaboration, the communication,” and also “the quality of the presentations were great”.

However, Dr Bell said the specialty is facing a challenging time, in that endocrinologists need “generally more support on the ground”.

“Otherwise I think there’s enthusiasm, and hopefully over the years things will improve,” she said.

In the next few years, Dr Bell looks forward to collaborations “with various institutions, and I think that’s going to be exciting because I think that’ll improve databases, I think it’ll improve the way we work, protocols within the country, expertise… I think there’s a big driving force in the young community of endocrinologists that are behind, coming up, and will be adding to the excitement of the specialty over the next few years,” she said during the meeting.

Dr Bell said the Society’s AGM, which took place during the Annual Meeting, was successful, and “there was a lot of consensus on a lot of issues that had been discussed, and I think we looked at trying to make this meeting better, and to improve the Society in general”.