Cathal BarryFailure to fill vacant chaplain posts in Irish hospitals could force chaplaincy training centres here to close
Failure to fill vacant chaplain posts in Irish hospitals could force chaplaincy training centres here to close, an expert in the sector has warned.
Kathleen O’Connor, a former director of Clinical Pastoral Education at Cork University Hospital, said it was “highly likely” that current vacancies for chaplains in Irish hospitals “will not be filled in the near future”.
Writing in The Irish Catholic this week, Ms O’Connor outlined a number of implications that the failure to fill the positions would have for the training of new chaplains.
“If we do not have job opportunities for our graduates from Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) centres, then there is a real possibility that there will not be enough students applying to participate in CPE.
“Eventually the training of professional chaplains may not be possible if CPE centres are forced to close,” she said.
Ms O’Connor also warned that: “After all, we know that nurses and other health care staff are already overworked. Nurses who would like to spend more time with their patients admit they do not have the time to do so.”
A spokesperson for Health Service Executive (HSE) confirmed to The Irish Catholic this week that the Government freeze on recruitment that came into effect across the public service, including in the HSE in September 2009, applies to hospital chaplains.
“As a result of the Government moratorium some vacant posts cannot be filled,” the spokesperson said.
The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Brendan Howlin, announced in the budget earlier this month that the moratorium would be ended “in a targeted way” next year.