Chronic shortage of staff is an alarm in the health districts of the Marche

ANCONA They represent the junction point between health and social activities. That territorial network that should lighten hospital facilities. But chronic staff shortages are making their precious work a never-ending obstacle course. We are talking about the health districts – 13 in the Marche region – which are called upon to guarantee primary care services with medical, nursing, rehabilitation and psychological services, in particular to non-self-sufficient people who live at home and who require home health and social care interventions.

The question

But the lack of an adequate number of professional figures is causing the service to collapse. The critical issue was brought to light by a question from the PD regional councilor Antonio Mastrovincenzo, who underlines how, «despite being an essential level service and therefore to be guaranteed, in most of the regional territory many services are not provided». It is the regional health agency itself that certifies the problem: in the response to the councilor it states how “an investigation carried out in December by the Ars confirms that the critical issues and excellences are scattered like leopard spots in the regional territory”, with a «significant difference between home care services in the different health districts of the Marche».

The flaws

More specifically, the Ars highlights how, with regards to the staffing and the professional figures involved, «in almost all situations the staff is not dedicated only to home care but pertains to multiple services», «specialist doctors are often contacted as needed, as well as psychologists, dieticians and social workers” and only a few districts have this staff dedicated to home care. Furthermore, “rehabilitation staff (physiotherapists and speech therapists) and social and health workers are often outsourced, with different contractual forms”. A highly negative picture which also translates into a disparity in services depending on the territory. Various professionals that make up the care offering system are completely absent in many districts. Just to give some examples, «the figure of the OSS is present in only two districts out of 13, the dietician in only one, the speech therapist and medical specialists in three and rehabilitation assistance is not provided in as many as five districts», makes Mastrovincenzo account. In almost all regional realities, it is above all nurses who run the districts. A confirmation compared to the analysis made by the Region during the drafting of the 2023/2025 socio-health plan: 80.3% of the annual hours of the various districts are on the shoulders of nurses. Other fundamental figures such as paediatricians, psychologists and general practitioners, however, bordered on 0%.

The shortcomings

A partial and intermittent take-over which has a domino effect on the system: «Too often, unfortunately, the use of residential facilities is determined by the inadequate support that families receive – the Democratic councilor points the finger – as well as the return home after a acute illness which determines non-self-sufficiency transforms into therapeutic abandonment due to the lack of the necessary health and social-health support”. The question arises spontaneously: when will the structures financed with the Pnrr – 29 community houses, 9 community hospitals and 15 Cot – be ready – with what staff will they be made operational, if this is already the situation today? Mystery.

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