Staff departing University Hospital Kerry will undergo exit interviews.
This is according to Kerry Fianna Fáil councillor Mikey Sheehy, who’s been asking the hospital management to conduct an independent interview into staffs’ reasons for departing. An INMO representative said last month that a number of nurses are leaving their roles at University Hospital Kerry due to being stressed and overworked.
Councillor Mikey Sheehy says staff retention is a huge issue in the health service at the moment, and exit interviews allow staff have an honest and up-front discussion about what, in their opinion, could be improved. He, as a member of the Southern Regional Health Forum, asked in November 2020 that UHK implement a policy of conducting independent exit interviews when staff leave their jobs.
In response, UHK manager Fearghal Grimes said at the time that exit interviews are conducted for staff leaving. In September, the INMO said many nurses plan to either emigrate to work abroad or to leave the profession altogether.
Councillor Sheehy says he’s worried about the number of staff vacancies and level of staff turnover in UHK. In recent days, he received correspondence from management which states that exit interviews will be conducted from this month, despite it being claimed in November 2020 that this was already in place.
Councillor Mikey Sheehy said the exit interviews, while being a good first step, are not what he sought initially; he had sought independent exit interviews.
