Minister to review plan when impact of staff leaving is known

MINISTER FOR Health James Reilly will review the new health service plan once the full impact of staff leaving the service is known. He told the Dáil the strategy was a “dynamic plan” and would be reviewed regularly.

But Fianna Fáil health spokesman Billy Kelleher said a contingency plan should have been developed by now for the significant number of retirements anticipated from front line services.

During a debate the Minister said that by the end of February 3,700 people will have retired. In line with commitments to cut public sector numbers, the health service must reduce numbers to 102,100 by the end of this year.

He acknowledged “the numbers leaving are indeed significant and represent a significant challenge for the health system” he said, “but we still have in excess of 100,000 staff”.

He said “we must focus our attention on how to make the most effective use of this most important resource” and the priority had to be to reform “how health services are delivered”.

Dr Reilly said the public service agreement provided the framework for delivering significant change and “will allow us to reduce staff numbers, to become more efficient and productive, reduce our costs and improve quality. It is essential we achieve these goals.” Savings of €750 million are planned for 2012 when the budget is €13.317 billion.

Sinn Féin health spokesman Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin said frontline services could not be maintained with such a scale of redundancies. He said the Minister would “tinker” with bureaucracy at the top of the HSE but “without reducing the 110 senior managers on annual salaries of more than €110,000. “He should reduce these salaries and ring-fence all front line health service posts”.

Independent TD for Waterford John Halligan highlighted local concerns and said Waterford Regional Hospital “serves 500,000 people across the south east, but it faces cuts of up to €14 million, the departure of up to 70 nurses by next month and the closure of three of its eight operating theatres, a surgical ward and a number of inpatient and outpatient beds”.