Health bodies breach policy with €200,000 packages

One in four of the country’s 43 State-funded voluntary hospitals and health agencies have told the Government they are breaching official policy on pay for senior executives.

Figures released by the Department of Health show senior staff working in State-funded disability and maternity services are receiving total packages of well over €200,000 per year in some cases.

The total remuneration in many cases is made up of a combination of HSE-funded salaries and top-up payments from private sources, such as the proceeds from on-campus retail outlets.

Department of Health files dated from May this year – and which predate cuts introduced under the Haddington Road agreement – show for the first time the level of earnings of senior managers in voluntary hospitals and health agencies.

A number of health bodies last night disputed the details set out in the Department of Health figures that were drawn up as part of a recent HSE internal audit. However senior health service sources maintained the figures were those which the agencies had themselves submitted.

At the end of September, the HSE asked the voluntary hospitals and agencies to confirm that executive pay was in line with Government policy.

Internal HSE figures show that 10 agencies indicated that they were breaching pay policy. The HSE figures also show that six agencies confirmed they were in compliance, while 11 others had not replied by early November. The HSE has taken this as an indication that they were in compliance.

Total package
The Department of Health file states the master of the Rotunda Hospital in Dublin was receiving a total package of more than €306,000. This included a HSE salary of €236,000, as well as an on-call allowance of €49,545 and a separate privately funded allowance of €20,000.

The file said the master of the National Maternity Hospital was receiving a package of €281,892. This was composed of a HSE-funded salary of €183,562, as well as an allowance of €53,009 and a separate private-funded allowance of €45,000.

Neither hospital responded to queries put to them last night.The publicly funded element of these payments would have been reduced under the Haddington Road deal which came into force in July.

The Department of Health report also states that the chief executive of the Central Remedial Clinic (CRC) received a total package of €242,865. This comprised a HSE-funded salary of €106,900, a CRC-funded salary of €116,949 and a separate CRC-funded allowance of €19,016.

The CRC described the Department of Health report as “historic” and said it did not provide a current picture of staff remuneration at the organisation. The CRC also did not answer questions as to whether revenue generated from fundraising activities was used to supplement State-funded payments.

The Department of Health files state that the chief executive of Stewarts Hospital, which operates in the disability sector, had a salary of almost €175,000 and a motor allowance of €18,000. Stewarts Hospital said yesterday the salary of its current chief executive was in compliance with the consolidated scales and official circulars.