Around 100 nurses currently working on temporary contracts with the Health Service Executive are among those who are expected to be let go as part of new moves to facilitate the appointment of new full–time personnel in high priority areas.
It is understood that among others that will be affected are 100 support grade personnel such as healthcare assistants, porters, caterers etc and 40 clerical and 20 allied health professional staff.
All the temporary employees to be let go have a total service with the HSE of less than one year.
Trade unions said that they had been given assurances by the HSE yesterday that there would be no compulsory redundancies for permanent employees and that temporary employees, with more than 12 months service, would not have their contracts terminated under the new plan.
However unions also warned that many staff working on short-term contracts were carrying out very important roles in the health service.
The HSE said tonight that it planned to restructure its workforce and to reduce the number of staff on short-term temporary contracts to allow for it to create 1,000 permanent posts in other areas. It said that as a result of the Government's moratorium on recruitment in the public sector that it could not appoint new employees without reducing its existing staffing levels.
The Irish Times revealed today that 1,000 staff on temporary contracts will be let go by the HSE in the weeks and months ahead to facilitate the expansion of priority areas. However the HSE has not revealed the areas and the particular staff grades that will be affected by the job losses.
However informed sources said that around 100 nurses on temporary contracts in the HSE's primary, community and continuing care sector would be let go as would the same number of support grade employees.
These figures are expected to increase when personnel in the HSE's national hospitals office and in its corporate sectors were taken into account.
In a statement the HSE said that it had told trade unions yesterday that it planned to roll out a series of new service developments and service improvements over the coming months which would involve the creation of 1,000 permanent posts.
It said that the new posts would be created in the following areas: primary care teams including nurses, therapists, social workers; services for older persons; disability services including therapists; clinical and in patient services for child and adolescent psychiatry; renal services; maternity services; paediatrics; adult critical care services; haematology/haemophilia services; metabolic diseases; transplant services; cystic fibrosis services and neurosciences.
However the HSE said that given the Government's embargo on recruitment and promotion and the requirement to comply with the employment ceiling allocated for health services, "delivering on these priority service developments will require a restructuring of the workforce and significant redeployment".
"While current staffing levels will remain, it will be necessary to reduce the number of staff on short-time temporary contracts. However, in line with Government policy to maximise sustainable employment permanent positions will be created as outlined above to allow the planned service improvements go ahead." it said.
The HSE said that the new recruitment policy "would now be communicated to local HSE managers around the country who will implement the changes at a local level as temporary contracts come to a conclusion".
The trade union group in the health sector, while generally welcoming these appointments, said that it had serious concerns at the continual deterioration of existing services resulting from bed closures and other budgetary constraints.
INO Deputy General Secretary, David Hughes said: "There are currently 600 beds closed across our Hospitals nationwide. Additionally, six theatres are closed and the impact of these closures has manifested itself in a 36 per increase in the number of patients waiting in A&E Departments in the Eastern Area compared with the same month last year. Nationwide, the numbers of patients waiting on trolleys in A&E Departments has risen by 29 per cent. Unfortunately, the new developments will have no impact at all on this deteriorating situation and this needs to be addressed urgently."
Siptu national health official Merrigan stated that "many of the short term temporary staff are filling critical roles in healthcare support and catering functions which simply cannot be dispensed with; and he said SIPTU Officials will critically analyse every contract put forward for cessation.