A leading surgical college has announced two key appointments in Northern Ireland as the health service continues to face significant backlogs and waiting lists in the wake of the Covid pandemic.
The Bengoa report published in 2016 and previous studies have highlighted how many services are struggling to recruit and retain staff under the current configuration of hospital care.
While some progress has been made, Health Minister Robin Swann recently said that his successor will have "much work to do" in transforming the system.
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Stormont ministers are unable to sign off on a three-year budget, which would give a significant funding boost to the health service, due to the power-sharing impasse, meaning departments will have to fall back on emergency arrangements to continue funding public services.
Earlier this year it was announced that emergency surgery would be halted at Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry and patients who require admission were to be transferred instead to Craigavon.
The reason was difficulties recruiting surgeons and despite repeated attempts, only two out of six general surgical consultant posts at Daisy Hill have been filled - and one of those would soon become vacant.
Pre-existing staffing pressures within the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service have also led to delays in paramedics responding to some calls and comes as hospitals continue to struggle with high levels of Covid-19 inpatients.
Meanwhile, the Royal College of GPs has said that a phone-first system adopted by most GP surgeries at the start of the pandemic is here to stay.
However, patients say the system did not work effectively and they have raised concerns about difficulties with accessing GPs.
The RCGP has accepted patient access needs to improve.
Now the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, which represents 15,000 members across the UK, has just appointed two Regional Surgical Ambassadors in Belfast.
They will play a key role in the College’s efforts to support members in the region as the profession remains under pressure in the face of growing patient waiting lists and workforce shortages during recovery from the pandemic.
Andrew Diver, Consultant Plastic Surgeon at Kingsbridge Hospital and Mano Shanmuganathan, Consultant Neurosurgeon at the Royal Victoria Hospital will provide support and mentorship to college members in Northern Ireland.
Mr Diver will be involved in developing a mentorship programme aimed at tackling mental health issues and the burnout experienced among healthcare professionals.
“In the surgical profession, the biggest obstacle can often be that surgeons themselves do not recognise they have a problem when it comes to their mental health, so they don’t always speak up.
“However, this is slowly starting to change for the better within the surgical community. We must overcome the notion that surgeons need to get on with the day job and be more resilient even in the face of the mounting pressure they’re experiencing.
“It’s far healthier for people to speak out when they’re struggling and to know that there are resources for people to get help. The College is here for everyone and to help anyone overcome challenges they face in the workforce.”
President of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, Professor Michael Griffin said: “In their new roles, Mr Diver and Mr Shanmuganathan will help us in our efforts to tackle workforce issues and improve the workplace for surgeons and healthcare workers all over the UK.
“We must ensure our members are fully supported as they continue to work through this difficult period. We know there are some significant challenges being faced by the healthcare workforce at the moment, which are unique to Northern Ireland.
“Having Mr Diver and Mr Shanmuganathan in-post will give us invaluable insights into the situation and inform how we can best support our members in this part of the UK.”
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