Increasing community care likely to put more pressure on services, State think tank says

Reforms of the health service through increasing community healthcare are “likely to lead to increased pressure on already strained services” and a significant rise in staffing levels will be required, the State’s think tank has said.As part of the Sláintecare reforms, the health service is seeking to move away from reliance on hospital care and increase services provided in the community. However, waiting lists for primary and community care services have increased significantly in recent years, and the ageing population is forecast to bring more pressure.On Tuesday, the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) published a new report that projects significant increases in HSE primary and community care workforce requirements by 2040.The report, funded by the HSE, finds the largest increases in workforce requirements are projected for services that currently focus on older people in the community, namely audiologists, occupational therapists, podiatrists and public health and community nurses.According to the publication, an additional 30 to 34 audiologist whole-time equivalents (WTE) will be required by 2040; along with an additional 70 to 90 dietitian WTEs and an extra 300 to 383 occupational therapists.The report also highlights increased staffing requirements for physiotherapists, with a need for an additional 242 to 315 by 2040. It also says 58 to 66 more podiatrists will be needed, and 117 to 208 more speech and language therapist WTEs.In terms of public health and community nurses, the ESRI projects an additional 2,0175 to 2,231 will be required.Aoife Brick, senior research officer at the ESRI, and lead author of the report, said the “substantial expansion” of the HSE primary and community care workforce would be required across all regions and across all staff categories examined in the report. “In the context of ongoing Sláintecare implementation, policymakers will need to consider how best to increase workforce supply, alongside measures to manage future service demand, to address these emerging pressures,” she said.Anne Marie Hoey, chief people officer at the HSE, said regionally-based projections would strengthen the organisation’s ability to plan services and make informed decisions about workforce needs and opportunities.Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said the growing and ageing population meant demand for these services was increasing.“Sláintecare is working to build a health and social care service that is sustainable for the future. Increasing capacity, both in terms of workforce and infrastructure, along with productivity measures is key to address Ireland’s long-term demographic challenges,” she added.