The Health Services Executive (HSE) has confirmed today that it is to shed 600 jobs but said the reductions will not affect front-line services to patients.
The announcement has come just three days after Professor Brendan Drumm formally took up his post as CEO of the Executive. At that time he stated that he wanted to use the first few weeks to listen to staff and absorb as much as possible before outlining his plans and priorities.
Labour Party Spokesperson on Health Liz McManus
The posts are to be lost from "administration and backroom functions" through "natural wastage" and "the non-filling of vacancies".
However Labour Party Deputy Leader and Spokesperson on Health, Liz McManus is concerned and in a statement she asks the HSE: "If it is 'merely' administrative jobs that are being cut, who is now going to do the important work carried out by these administrators? Does the HSE not believe in health promotion or population health?"
Having moved from a structure of 11 health boards to one unified national agency, the HSE says that staff reductions will focus on those areas where opportunities arise for the co-ordination of services and where the economies of scale of the new national structure allow for such reductions.
The Executive also says that any jobs cuts will not apply to new posts being created by the HSE in 2005 under the A&E and the Intellectual Disability development plans.
Ms McManus is seeking further reassurance that patients will not be affected: "It is not good enough for the HSE to claim certain sectors of the health service are being ring-fenced yet, at the same time, make cuts from other sectors with little or no explanation as to why the cuts are being made, how services will be affected, and how they will continue to do this work.
"My fear is that, despite claims to the contrary, there will be a domino affect, and cuts and staff reductions in these areas will lead to a deterioration in services across the health service," she added.