Thread by @sinead_donohue

1. For those suggesting #publichealth specialists who are speaking out calling for more resources to fight #COVID19 are disingenuous I'd like to make a few points @paulreiddublin @CcoHse @DonnellyStephen @LeoVaradkar @CathMurphyTD @FergalBowers @Mark_Coughlan @paulcullenit

2. B4 #Covid_19 ever came along our departments were small, understaffed, contracted to provide M-F 9-5 service. We moved quickly to provide 7/7 service with extended day to 9pm with the SAME number of staff. Many of us were working 7 days a week every week

3. As case numbers increased we had to FIGHT for extra staff repeatedly. It was a LONG time b4 we got the level of staffing needed - 80-90% redeployed staff, rest agency. We had to deal with a pandemic & train new staff some pulled after couple of days/weeks @paulreiddublin

4. These staff were AMAZING & I will be forever grateful. Unfortunately most were only with us 6-8 weeks. Some a bit longer. 90% or more are now gone. In our department we went from ~20 staff to a staff of ~90! That was what we needed & we could have done with more @CathMurphyTD

5. We now have ~10 extra staff but have lost some of our core staff. In January we had 4.6 WTE Specialists in #publichealth. Now we have 2.6 to serve a population of >0.5mill 7/7 during a global #pandemic!!!!! Why aren't 🚨 ringing? @DonnellyStephen @paulreiddublin @LeoVaradkar

6. So we are far far short of the 90 staff we had & we are still trying to provide extended day 7/7 service but struggling to fill rotas. Cases & outbreaks are far more complex now than they were during 'Lockdown'. They require experienced trained staff & TIME @CathMurphyTD

7. Those of us raising this issue have only ONE agenda - to deliver a comprehensive safe effective regional #publichealth response to #COVID19 in 🇮🇪 as our population rightly deserve. We dont do this lightly but sleepless nights worrying won't get us staff @HSE_HR

8. So we DO NOT have 80% extra staff in regional #publichealth departments @CcoHse @HSE_HR.

We ARE on our knees @paulreiddublin.

We ARE struggling @DonnellyStephen

AND WE CARE!

@LeoVaradkar @CathMurphyTD @RoisinShortall @MaryLouMcDonald @IMO_IRL @med_indonews @IMT_latest