HSE rejects business cases to retain top-ups

The Health Service Executive has rejected “a considerable number” of the 200 business cases made by voluntary hospitals and health agencies to keep paying top-up or additional payments to senior personnel.

It has also emerged that, as part of its analysis, the HSE discovered that a number of clinical director positions in voluntary hospitals and agencies were “unapproved”.

Clinical director posts are senior medical management positions filled by hospital consultants and attract allowances of more than €40,000 a year on top of salary.

It is understood the HSE is concerned that the number of such posts has "evolved" since they were established in 2008.

Payments to stop
In letters sent yesterday the HSE instructed the boards of voluntary hospitals and agencies where business cases were rejected that they should cease making additional payments from the middle of next month.

Last September The Irish Times disclosed that executives at State-funded voluntary hospitals and agencies were receiving more than €3.2 million in allowances and benefits on top of official salary rates.

The top-up revelations led directly to the scandal surrounding payments made to senior personnel in the Central Remedial Clinic, and ultimately to the controversy over Rehab.

The HSE declined to comment on the number of cases it had rejected or the institutions involved, but well placed sources said "a considerable number" had been rejected.

'Not approved'
Also, following queries from The Irish Times regarding some clinical director posts, the HSE said it could "confirm that there are a number of clinical director posts across the system that are not approved posts".