Community-based post-stroke service provision and challenges: a national survey of managers and inter-disciplinary healthcare staff in Ireland

Table 1 Pattern of staffing of community-based health professionals nationally (Ireland)

	Estimated no. of staff posts per region* [N]	Grades			Vacant posts % [N]
	Estimated no. of staff posts per region* [N]	Manager % [N]	Senior % [N]	Basic % [N]	Vacant posts % [N]
Public health nursing [N: 7/32 LHO areas]	319 [279.3]	4 [12]	22 [62]	71 [197^***]	3 [8.5]
Physiotherapy [N:13/32 LHO areas]	94 [153.6]	8 [12]	79 [121.6]	7 [20]	6 [10]
Occupational Therapy [N: 2 HSE regions]	38 [77.0]	11 [8.4]	8 [63.2]	7 [5.5]	18 [13.9]
Social Work^** [N: all HSE regions]	0.5 [2]	50 [1]	50 [1]	0 [0]	[N/A]
Dietetics [N: all HSE regions]	20 [80.4]	11 [9]	81 [64.4]	8 [7]	9 [7.6]
Speech & Language Therapy [N: 27/32 LHO areas]	67 [225.7]	11 [23.8]	62 [141.5]	27 [60.4]	13 [30]
Psychology [N: approx. 60% LHO areas]	8 [20]	15 [3]	49 [10]	34 [7]	2 [0.5]

Bold figures represent estimated number per region.
* (wholetime equivalent per health care region).
* *These are social workers for adults – community based social work generic posts not involved in child protection.

ISSN: 1472-6963