Management of targets: Kerry hospital’s huge workload
Working on a five-day week basis that equates with almost 800 files a week, 150 or so every working day. Even the most ardent advocates of automation would hardly argue that such a fantastic level of production could be possible — even for the fittest robot.
It, unsurprisingly, adds another layer of fantasy to the story that the radiologist in question was placed on administrative leave but that the managers who hoped that one person might be able to deal with such a workload are still in place.
Indeed, they defended their performance at a meeting with Kerry public representatives, insisting that the five-member radiology team was appropriate for the hospital. Obviously not.
This is not the first time this issue has presented, there were earlier difficulties in Bantry and Cavan.
University Hospital Kerry has had a high turnover of top managers over the last decade and this may have contributed to the problem.
Despite that, it is hard not to think that a member of the medical staff has been unfairly scapegoated because they could not reach utterly unrealistic management targets.
And will there be any consequences for the managers?
“Right, yeah,” as a world-weary observer might say.
