HSE chief: Mistakes were made with private hospitals and nursing homes
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The HSE got about 70% of its response to the Covid-19 pandemic right, but would make different decisions for about 30%; namely nursing homes and private hospital utilisation, according to its CEO.
Paul Reid told the annual Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) that the HSE “didn’t have the time” to evaluate 100% of its decisions in real time because the response needed was so urgent.
Despite high-profile missteps, the public trust and confidence in the HSE has risen since the pandemic began, he said.
“One of the things I said to cabinet at the start of the process and to the opposition parties at the time, there was no doubt we would get 70% of the decisions we were going to make would be right, hopefully, but there was equally no doubt that 30% of things would not prove to be the right ones.”
That was the way he wanted HSE teams to approach the pandemic, he said.
“We just didn’t have time (for 100%). Some things, I do believe, we got right in that phase were certainly the surge capacity that we were in a position to put in place.
"Some of the ICU investment that was made early and some of the extra beds that were brought on board, but particularly the surge capacity that our ICU consultants and teams led, in the training of extra resources throughout that process.
“Certainly investment in acute and sub-acute beds, a total of 400, I will be making the argument for sustaining next year. Putting in new pathways of care, both Covid and non-Covid, as we emerged and we opened up all other services.
"Testing and tracing, building capacity, which I believe has been proven to be one of the best in Europe in terms of the volume we are testing and turnaround, despite many challenges that we had.
“PPE was a really big challenge but we punched well above our weight, thanks to our international embassies and the IDA, etc.”
Other decisions now will be looked at differently, he admitted - the major ones being the use of private hospitals, as well as nursing homes.
“That was an immediate way of just building capacity immediately.
"Certainly, when we look at the next phase, we see a very different way in which we do that (utilising private hospitals).
“It would be remiss of me not to acknowledge the whole approach around nursing homes, who is responsible for what.
"The disease caught us all on the hop in terms of asymptomatic presentations in nursing homes, and particularly the transmission levels.
"That has been a learning and the expert panel report has set out those learnings.”
He said he believed the public saw a “very different health service” and that it has tracked increased public trust and confidence.
“I think that is something for us all to learn - a more single, unified voice from the health service is something we can reflect on.”
In relation to Sláintecare, the HSE has “put in more in six months than we might have in the next three to four years”, Mr Reid claimed.
“We did it at pace and I have worked in every sector now, and have never seen such change implemented by so many people so quickly.”
There was a net increase of 152 consultants this year, something he said the IHCA “should acknowledge”.
The IHCA has been vocal in its trenchant criticism that 500 posts remain unfilled, with a 30% pay inequality gap for consultants after 2012 one of the most pressing issues.