Overpaid health workers to repay EUR20,000

The Southern Health Board has confirmed that two members of its staff have been asked to repay up to €20,000 which was paid to them in error.

A spokeswoman for the health board told The Irish Times last night that arrangement for the repayment of the money would be made in full agreement with the personnel concerned, and that there was no question of lump sums being demanded.

The board is understood to have sent letters to a number of staff in recent weeks highlighting overpayments made in error.

The health board declined to comment on the nature of the over-payments. However, highly-placed sources said some were "quite blatant" and involved staff working on a part-time basis receiving full salary.

A spokeswoman for the board said that it had an efficient payroll system, which processed more than 20,000 transactions every month, but that it depended on the return of correct information to ensure that the staff was correctly paid.

"On the rare occasion when a human error occurs with a staff member's payment, it would be reasonable for the SHB to assume that any member of staff, on identifying a discrepancy in their pay, would bring it to the immediate attention of their manager."

She said that where money needed to be recouped from staff, the board was conscious that each case was looked at sympathetically and that arrangements were put in place so as not to cause them any undue stress.

"The SHB does recognise, however, its responsibility to ensure that public monies, including salaries, are accounted for in a proper fashion", the spokeswoman said.

Trade union sources said that a number of health boards had identified anomalies in payments in the preparation for the introduction of a new national payroll system.

The Deputy General Secretary of the Irish Nurses Organisation, Mr Dave Hughes said that his organisation had received no complaints from members over allegations of overpayment. He urged any member receiving such letters from the health board to contact the INO. He said there were as many, if not more, cases of staff being underpaid.