Health service to cut 3,500 jobs next year under revised Croke Park plan

About 3,500 posts in the health service are to go next year, a new Department of Health report has confirmed.

In its new plan for the implementation of the Croke Park agreement, the Department of Health says the Government is expected to set new targets to bring the number of staff in the health service down to 95,500 by the end of 2014.

“This will require a net reduction of at least 3,200 whole-time equivalent posts in 2013,” the report says.

The report warns that this figure does not include positions which were approved and funded but were unfilled at present. If it was decided not to fill them then the overall figure could rise to 3,800. The report was published on the Department’s website.

The health budget faces cuts of almost €800 million next year as the Government continues to grapple with the public finances. Earlier this month the Department of Health got a supplementary estimate of €360 million, despite repeated Government promises that no additional funding would be provided to offset its cost overrun.

Unions are expected to express deep concern about the implications of the latest proposed staff cuts on services.

These reductions are in addition to almost 5,000 personnel who left the health service in the run-up to pension changes last February. Health service unions say it has put huge pressure on existing services.

The report says that the challenges facing the health service “require stakeholders to consider all options and co-operate with voluntary redundancy programmes and other measures to accelerate reductions in staff numbers...”

It is unclear what is meant by “other measures.”

Career-break scheme

Some highly placed sources suggested that the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive were also considering a new incentivised career-break scheme aimed at about 700 staff.

In October, Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin suggested a new voluntary redundancy scheme could be established for surplus administrative staff in the HSE.

Meanwhile senior Government figures firmly ruled out reversing budgetary measures yesterday, with Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore insisting there could be no row-back.

Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton indicated there would be no alteration to the €10 child benefit cut when she met a group of Labour backbenchers who were pressing for change yesterday.

Coalition TDs have returned to their constituencies to face anger about cuts in the respite care grant, the PRSI increase and the property tax. Labour deputies in particular will come under pressure in the Dáil next week when the Social Welfare Bill is debated.

Sinn Féin will table a vote of no confidence in the Coalition next week, while Fianna Fáil focused on the 20 per cent cut in the respite care grant.

Strong criticism

The Government has also been strongly criticised by Siptu general secretary Jack O’Connor and Barnardos chief executive Fergus Finlay. Mr O’Connor wrote to the Taoiseach directly urging him to intervene to bring forward the budget measures curtailing pension tax relief for top earners .