HUNDREDS OF health sector staff who have additional acting-up allowances on top of their salary are likely to be permitted to retain these payments under new proposals put forward yesterday by the HSE.
However, health sector trade unions were told that in future such acting-up allowances will only be sanctioned if they are deemed necessary for clinical or operational reasons.
Where allowances are being discontinued a consultation process involving trade union representatives will be put in place.
The proposals were set out in a new draft circular on employment control in the HSE which is being drawn up to give effect to the moratorium on recruitment and promotions introduced by the Government at the end of March.
In essence the new proposals mean that where an employee had an acting-up allowance on the introduction of the Government moratorium on March 27th they will continue to receive the payment for the duration of the acting-up period.
There is also to be a new process over the coming weeks to examine the status of thousands of temporary staff in the health sector. This is likely to look at the duration of service of the personnel concerned and their contractual arrangements.
Separately, Minister for Health Mary Harney has confirmed that the Government is to extend the new special incentive career-break scheme to staff within the public health sector.
In the Civil Service this scheme offers staff a payment of €12,000 per year for three years to take a career break. This scheme, a new incentivised early retirement scheme and an extended term-time scheme are aimed at reducing the numbers of people on the State’s payroll.
Ms Harney told the Dáil on Tuesday that the details of the schemes and the arrangements which would apply in the health sector were being finalised by her department and that it was intended that a circular on the matter would be issued to the relevant organisations in the coming week.
The country’s largest children’s hospital, Our Lady’s in Crumlin, has confirmed that 25 beds are to be closed from this month with a further 20 being taken out of use for July and August as part of a new break-even plan.
In a move to generate €9 million in savings, the hospital is also to reduce out-patient appointments by 15 per cent, or 8,483 attendances. About 1,100 elective admissions are also to be affected as part of the cutbacks.
In addition, one theatre at the hospital is to be closed from July until December while two others will be taken out of use for the summer. The hospital is also to offer unpaid leave to staff for July and August. Temporary and agency contracts will cease. The details of the cutbacks were revealed in The Irish Timeslast month.