'Time-dependent care' will be prioritised, says senior health official

A senior health official has said the health system is prioritising patients needing "time-dependent care" such as those with cancer. 

HSE chief operations officer Anne O’Connor made the comment on RTÉ Radio after stating the HSE will face an "inability" to do some scheduled work due to the current surge in Covid-19 cases. 

It comes during a week where HSE chief, Paul Reid, confirmed hospitals would be suspending elective care due to growing Covid pressures. 

He told RTÉ: "The reality of it is we will have to suspend, in many cases, elective care." 

Ms O'Connor today (January 7) said approximately 12% of healthcare staff are now absent due to Covid-19 across all healthcare services.

She confirmed this amounts to approximately 14,000 to 15,000 staff, adding: “This is something that is impacting all of our services.” 

She said that healthcare services across the country are “doing all they can”, with staff returning early from leave and others being redeployed.

The National Public Health Emergency Team (NPHET) met yesterday (January 6) to discuss the latest Covid-19 situation.

Health officials are not believed to have recommended any new restrictions to the Government.

It comes as the country continues to experience record case numbers.

A further 23,817 cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in Ireland yesterday, a new record daily total.

However, politicians have expressed optimism that high case numbers are not translating into a surge in patients in intensive care.