Ireland will require more than 2,000 additional public health and community nurses by 2040, according to a new report, reports Breaking News.
The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) says there will need to be significant increases in HSE primary and community care staffing levels by the end of the next decade compared with 2022, reports Breaking News.
The HSE-funded analysis projects the largest workforce growth will be needed in services supporting older people in the community, including audiologists, occupational therapists, podiatrists, and public health and community nurses, with annual growth of between 2% and 3.2% up to 2040, reports Breaking News.
It also found the greatest increases in staffing demand are expected in the eastern regions of the country.
A separate assessment of waiting list pressures suggests further staff will be required to deal with existing backlogs in the health system, reports Breaking News.
The report estimates an additional 300 to 383 occupational therapist whole-time equivalents will be needed by 2040, along with 242 to 315 physiotherapist posts, reports Breaking News.
It also projects a requirement for between 117 and 208 speech and language therapist posts, and between 2,075 and 2,231 public health and community nurses.
Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said Sláintecare is aimed at building a sustainable health and social care system for the future, reports Breaking News.
She said increasing capacity in both workforce and infrastructure, along with productivity improvements, is essential to addressing Ireland’s long-term demographic challenges.
“These projections support our planning efforts to build capacity by understanding future workforce requirements to meet the needs of our people”, she said, reports Breaking News.
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