HSE defends recruitment plans and financial governance in wake of claims

The HSE has defended its recruitment plans and financial governance in the wake of claims that there were “fake targets” for hiring staff and “sloppiness” in its financial reporting.

The claims were reported to have been made by Department of Health officials at a meeting on January 27th.

The Business Post reported details of the discussion between the officials who did not know they were being recorded, saying the issues raised were in the public interest.

The HSE on Sunday night said: “The matters referred to in the newspaper article relate to shared issues between the HSE and the Department of Health which have been the subject of many constructive discussions between us.

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“The characterisation of these issues, and in particular the disparaging language used about identifiable individuals including senior managers and our board, is very disappointing.”

The Business Post reported that a target of hiring 10,000 staff in 2022 was not going to be met.

It also reported a claim that there was “sloppiness” in the HSE’s financial reporting and said officials spoke of the prospect of a prior year adjustment in its budget for 2020 that was probably in the region of “hundreds of millions”.

‘Deeply disappointing’

The HSE said it was “deeply disappointing” to see phrases such as “fake targets” being used in relation to recruitment.

On the target of hiring 10,000 staff in 2022, the HSE said: “We conducted a rigorous process of analysing labour market projections and the likely growth trajectory of staff, and concluded that we were confident of recruiting a minimum of 5,500 additional staff in 2022.

“We told the department of this, and agreed that while we would target a minimum 5,500 increase, we would also aim to improve on that figure as much as possible.”

On its financial reporting, the HSE said there would not be an adjustment in the order of “hundreds of millions of euro” to its accounts, and the HSE “never indicated to the department that there would be”.

It said there may be a technical accounting adjustment of a much smaller amount. “If this happens, it will reduce not increase the level of reported expenditure.”

On financial governance, the HSE said there was a “very proactive and rigorous approach” to oversight duties and it did not recognise the reported comments made by the officials as “being accurate”.

Concern

Opposition TDs from Sinn Féin, Labour and the Social Democrats raised concern at the contents of the Business Post report.

The matter is likely to be raised with Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly in the Dáil this week and Department of Health secretary general Robert Watt and HSE boss Paul Reid are also expected to face questions on the issue when they appear before the Committee on Health on Wednesday.

A Department of Health spokesperson said: “The Minister for Health speaks and meets regularly with the HSE executive team.

“These meetings are professional, constructive and respectful.”

There was a “long-standing and significant deficit in IT systems for financial management and reporting in the health service” and the HSE was “working to address this challenge and is introducing an integrated financial management system”.