HSE rehires staff who retired prior to changes

NEARLY 40 health service personnel who retired before pension changes came into effect at the end of February have been rehired by the Health Service Executive.

The HSE said it was not its policy to take back staff who had retired but that this may be necessary in exceptional circumstances on a short-term basis to meet critical service needs. Nearly 20 of those rehired were nurses, while 11 were hospital consultants.

In the HSE’s Dublin North East region, one administrator who had retired was rehired for a six-month period to deal with a “critical risk issue”.

In a letter to Labour TD Gerald Nash in response to a parliamentary question, the HSE said that three hospital consultants had been re-engaged in the west to meet critical frontline service needs as had seven nursing staff.

It said in the Dublin/Mid-Leinster region one consultant was acting as his own locum until June to allow time for the recruitment of a successor. It said one director of nursing had been rehired as “there are no appropriate candidates internally in the hospital to ensure continuity of service”.

The HSE said two anaesthetists and one gastroenterologist in the region had been taken back on as they had “developed a range of unique skills not readily available through locum or agency”.

The HSE said in Dublin/North East eight nurses, one administrator and one specialist radiographer had been rehired. In the South the HSE said among those rehired was a senior orthoptist.

The HSE said an assistant director of nursing had been taken back until the end of May to assist with the orderly closure of a home and to look after the welfare of residents during the move. It said one medical officer had been rehired to satisfy Hiqa requirements to ensure residents in a community hospital were reviewed regularly.

The HSE also said a consultant gastroenterologist, a consultant nephrologist and a consultant general surgeon had been rehired for 16½ hours per week.