HEALTH SERVICE management has warned that if there is no agreement on the redeployment or reassignment of staff then it will have to consider alternatives such as outsourcing the operation of new community services or letting go temporary employees to allow it to deliver its service plan.
Talks between trade unions and HSE management on reform in the health sector effectively broke down on Monday in a row over the suspension of new early retirement and career break schemes aimed at reducing staff numbers on the State payroll.
The HSE has said it had no option but to suspend the introduction of the new schemes, which were announced by the Government to apply across the public sector last month, as unions had instructed members not to co-operate with cutbacks and recruitment restrictions, including redeployment arrangements.
Union sources told The Irish Timesthey had not rejected redeployment outright but were not prepared to sign a "blank cheque", and wanted details of the HSE's operational plans on where it would take place and how many staff would be involved.
The HSE had not provided this information, they said.
The HSE has maintained that the facility to redeploy staff is crucial if it is to deliver its service plan, a blueprint agreed with the Government on how it spends its €15 billion budget.
In particular the HSE is seeking to shift its emphasis away from acute hospitals and towards services in the community. It wants to redeploy about 2,000 staff from the National Hospitals Office and HSE corporate to the primary, community and continuing care areas by the end of this year to facilitate the development of an integrated healthcare service.
It is understood that HSE management has warned unions that if there is no deal on redeployment that it may have to look at letting go about 2,000 temporary staff in the hospital and corporate sectors to allow it to take on new personnel to work in the community services.
Alternatively, it has suggested that it could outsource the operation of new services in the community.
The Irish Timesrevealed yesterday that more than €100 million which was set aside in the 2009 budget for new services for children with disabilities and mental health problems had still not been spent this year.
