THE HEALTH Service Executive (HSE) said last night it would begin the first phase of a planned centralisation of the processing of medical card applications from Monday.
Following talks with union Impact at the Labour Relations Commission yesterday, it said it would transfer medical card processing from Rathdown Road in Dublin to Finglas, Dublin.
Under the deal, the HSE will invite staff in Rathdown Road to volunteer to move to Finglas by the end of next week. The HSE said it would then begin the rollout of the centralisation process from other areas, and would sit down with unions to discuss the impact on staff.
“The parties will engage directly immediately to deal with any issues arising from national centralisation of medical card processing in terms of impact on staff.” It said the move was “hugely positive” as it would free resources for investment in other areas. The HSE is seeking to save €10 million under the plan.