HSE plan may see up to 6,000 jobs go

UP TO 6,000 jobs in the health service could go as part of a voluntary redundancy programme being proposed by management in the Health Service Executive.

The redundancy programme, if approved by the Government, would be aimed at managers and administrative staff in the organisation.

Highly placed sources said last night that it was envisaged that between 3,000 and 6,000 staff in the HSE could go under the proposed voluntary redundancy scheme.

If the upper-end figure was adopted, it would represent nearly one-third of managerial and administrative personnel in the organisation. The HSE has about 17,000 staff classified as holding managerial or administrative roles.

It is understood that the detail of voluntary redundancy programme and its overall cost have yet to be finalised.

The Irish Timesrevealed on Monday that Minister for Health Mary Harney had received a preliminary briefing on the proposals at a meeting with HSE chief executive Cathal Magee and its head of human resources Seán McGrath last Thursday.

The introduction of a voluntary redundancy programme would not be in breach of the Croke Park agreement on public service reform as this rules out only compulsory lay-offs.

For many years, there has been criticism of the number of staff employed in managerial and administrative posts in the HSE.

Last week, the Irish Hospital Consultants Association pointed out that there had been no reduction in these numbers following the amalgamation of the health boards into the HSE in 2005.

In 2008, the HSE proposed a voluntary redundancy scheme that could have seen over 1,000 staff leave the organisation. However, this plan was not approved by the Department of Finance.

The proposal for the voluntary redundancy scheme was set for the Minister in talks last week on the HSE’s plans for reform under the Croke Park deal.

At the weekend, Ms Harney warned that unless the reforms and changes set out under this agreement were delivered, patient services could be adversely affected by the substantial budget cuts in the health service that will take effect next year.

“We are clear what we want as far as change is concerned. There is a whole host of change. One title on it is flexibility. If there is a ward that is not so busy in a hospital and another ward that is very busy, that staff can move to the less busy ward from the busy ward. That is putting it in very simple fashion as far as nurses and other staff are concerned.

“Clearly, it will require more five-day working. We want to see a reduction in overtime and on call. These are costing the health service over €1 billion per year and it is not core pay,” the Minister stated.

The Minister warned the health service cuts could be deeper than the €600 million forecast several weeks ago.

Under the HSE reform plan, staff will be asked for greater flexibility in work practices. There will also be greater provision to redeploy personnel while staff could also be rostered to work on any five out of seven days.