Written answer
Health Services Staff
The Department began an RCSI-led study in 2026 to develop an evidence-based medical staffing and skill-mix framework, due for completion in 2028.
585. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Health if her Department has commenced research into the development of a safe medical staffing framework; the work carried out to date; and the timeline she is working towards. [66621/26]
Comment on this
The Department of Health recently commenced a research programme with RCSI to explore the development of an evidence-informed framework for medical workforce staffing and skill mix to inform future policy.
The HRB Evidence for Policy (EFP) Programme is a collaborative initiative between the Health Research Board (HRB) and the Department of Health (DOH) to support research projects that aim to strengthen the evidence base for policy development and evaluation of policy implementation. It is aimed at research to address evidence gaps that are a priority for health and social care policy, to support high quality, internationally competitive research, and to support integrated knowledge translation and development of collaboration between the policy and research communities.
The HRB EFP process is a competitive process underpinned by international peer review, whereby research proposals are invited from multi- and inter- disciplinary research teams and collaborators. Following the HRB EFP application, review and assessment process, a research project to support and inform the Department’s work has recently commenced in 2026, led by a research team at RCSI working with the Department and relevant stakeholders, including HSE National Doctor Training and Planning (NDTP). The RCSI project commenced in Q2 2026 and is due to be completed in Q4 2028.
This work, which is at an early stage of development, aims to assist in the development of an evidence-based framework to inform strategic planning of medical workforce staffing needs, linked to quality of care and patient safety outcomes.
A Scoping Review has commenced which includes review of international and national evidence to inform this work. A high-level overview of the research programme was introduced at the HSE NDTP annual conference in May 2026. The Department of health will continue to progress this work with RCSI and key stakeholders in 2026 and beyond.