kathy@limerickpost.ie
STAFF at Milford Hospice have this week been warned that they may be facing job losses due to funding cuts. The hospice is currently awaiting confirmation from the HSE regarding their funding allocation for 2013.
Milford Hospice CEO Pat Quinlan told Limerick Post that hospice management were currently in negotiations with the HSE and should have a clearer picture by next week.
“We are looking at our bed capacity to see what staffing levels we might need for 2013. Cuts are possible in terms of our total bed capacity so we will certainly have to look at our staffing levels.”
Mr Quinlan stressed that Milford Hospice’s patients are its first priority with respect to any future decisions.
“We are hoping that we will be able to meet the demand for beds. We did temporarily cap the number of beds last year to 28 but this did not affect patients. At the end of the day, we are trying to ensure that we provide a high standard of service to patients, they are our key priority at all times”, he said.
