Fears key radiographer position at Louth County Hospital will not be filled

Concerns that a key radiographer position currently vacant at the Louth County Hospital would not be filled following the retirement of the previous sonographer have been raised in the Dáil by Dundalk TD Ruairí Ó Murchú.

During a Topical Issue debate on the issue, the Sinn Féin deputy said the position of clinical specialist sonographer in ultrasound at the hospital had been advertised in the summer, with the retirement of the previous incumbent last month, but there had been no interviews and the position remains unfilled.

Deputy Ó Murchú said: “There is now serious concern among the staff and public that the position will not be filled at the hospital and that the service, which has been incredibly well used over the years and is growing in demand year on year, will be run without on-site management. 

“To put it in perspective, the HSE's own numbers are stark. The recently retired clinical specialist sonographer completed 2,000 ultrasounds herself at the Louth hospital in 2024. In the first ten months of this year until her retirement, she had completed 1,465.

Read also: Down Syndrome Centre North East celebrates new chapter

"At the same time, the waiting list for ultrasounds in the hospital's group is the largest it has ever been, with 5,000 outpatient appointments needed at the moment and 35 referrals a day coming into the Louth hospital. The total number of ultrasounds done in Louth County Hospital in 2024 was 7,825, up from 7,608 in 2023.

“The real scandal is that there has been considerable outsourcing of ultrasound scans happening in the north east of the State for many years, with 5,348 ultrasounds done in one private clinic in 2024 alone. 

“Many of these scans are being recorded by HSE radiologists, which they are allowed to do under their HSE contracts. The public waiting list continues to grow and the outsourcing of ultrasounds to private clinics where the HSE is paying a huge amount of money grows also.

“There are real fears that the whole ultrasound service will be downgraded and frittered away until there is no service”.

In response to the issue, Minister Robert Troy said: “A recruitment process to fill this vacancy has commenced, a number of applications have been received and interviews for this position are due to take place later this month.

“I am assured by the HSE that while this recruitment process is ongoing there will be no disruption to patient care or service delivery. All clinical services continue to operate as normal, ensuring that patients and service users experience no change in access, quality, or continuity of care. 

“I also understand that enhanced governance arrangements are being implemented for this position. These are designed to strengthen oversight, improve co-ordination and ensure clearer lines of accountability across LCH and Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital”.

Deputy Ó Murchú asked Minister Troy to engage with health minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill to ensure that the clinical specialist position remained located at the Louth County Hospital.