Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 September 2008
325 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of persons employed in 1991 in the delivery of the entire spectrum of health services to the entire population; the number of persons, patients and clients who sought and received services or treatment in 1991; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32573/08]
View answer326 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of staff employed, directly or indirectly, in the delivery of health services in both the public and private sectors; the number of persons, patients and clients who sought or received service in each of the past five years to date in 2008; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32574/08]
View answer335 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health and Children the number of nurses, doctors and consultants employed in the delivery of health services; the way this compares with 1992; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32583/08]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 325, 326 and 335 together.
The main source of employment data in the health services is the Health Service Executive's Health Service Personnel Census which is derived from payroll history in each agency. The census collects data on actual staffing level for each staff grade in each health agency at a given point in time. Up to and including 2002 the census was conducted annually. Since 2003, the census has been carried out quarterly at the end of March, June, September and December each year. The census provides data on the number of people employed in the public health service only; this includes the HSE, voluntary hospitals, voluntary disability and other PCCC voluntary agencies. It does not include data on some agencies which are grant-aided by the HSE, specialist agencies under the aegis of the Department of Health and Children or those employed in the private sector. In this regard, the data in relation to the public health service for 1991, and the years 2004 to 2008 are set out in the following tables:
|
Number |
|
|
Medical/Dental |
4,099.81 |
|
Nursing |
25,118.41 |
|
Health & Social Care Professionals |
4,299.20 |
|
Management/Admin. |
6,800.30 |
|
General Support Staff |
18,297.71 |
|
Other Patient & Client Care |
|
|
Total |
58,615.43 |
Source: Health Service Personnel Census.
Note 1: excludes Home Help.
Note 2: Management/Admin. includes staff who are of direct service to the public and include Consultant's Secretaries, Out-Patient Departmental Personnel, Medical Records Personnel, Telephonists and other staff who are engaged in front-line duties together with staff in the following categories Payroll, Human Resource Management (including training), Service Managers, IT Staff, General Management Support and Legislative and Information requirements
|
Dec 2004 |
Dec 2005 |
Dec 2006 |
Dec 2007 |
Jun 2008 |
|
|
Medical/Dental |
7,013 |
7,266 |
7,712 |
8,005 |
8,009 |
|
Nursing |
34,313 |
35,248 |
36,737 |
39,006 |
37,783 |
|
Health & Social Care Professionals |
12,830 |
13,952 |
14,913 |
15,705 |
15,726 |
|
Management/Admin. |
16,157 |
16,699 |
17,262 |
18,043 |
17,944 |
|
General Support Staff |
13,771 |
13,227 |
12,910 |
12,900 |
12,884 |
|
Other Patient & Client Care |
14,640 |
15,586 |
16,739 |
17,846 |
18,169 |
|
Total |
98,723 |
101,978 |
106,273 |
111,505 |
110,515 |
Source: Health Service Personnel Census.
Note 1: excludes Home Help.
Note 2: Management/Admin. includes staff who are of direct service to the public and include Consultant's Secretaries, Out-Patient Departmental Personnel, Medical Records Personnel, Telephonists and other staff who are engaged in front-line duties together with staff in the following categories Payroll, Human Resource Management (including training), Service Managers, IT Staff, General Management Support and Legislative and Information requirements.
Note 3: The methodology under which employment figures are compiled changed during the course of 2007 with the addition of personnel not previously included in subsumed agencies such as the Health Service Executive-EA (HSEA), the Primary Care Reimbursement Service (GMSPB), Health Boards Executive (HeBe) and the Office for Health Management (now part of the HR function) together with many other posts in projects or post previously excluded such as HRBS/PPARS and Value-for-Money posts (all of which are largely in the Management/Administrative stream) together with the inclusion of student nurses and chaplains. This change was undertaken to represent health service employment on a like-for-like basis with employment ceilings and to more accurately represent a reconfigured health service's employment information. As a result of this change year-on-year figures are not comparable.
Note 4: Caution should be exercised in making grade category comparisons due to changes in category composition over time.
Note 5: Student nurses are included in the 2007 and 2008 employment ceilings on the basis of 3.5 students equating to 1 wholetime equivalent (WTE). The employment levels adjusted for student nurses on the above basis are 110,664 WTE (Dec 07) and 110,386 WTE (June 08).
The numbers of nurses, non-consultant hospital doctors and consultants employed in the public health service in 1992 and 2008 are as follows:
|
Dec 1992 |
June 2008 |
|
|
Number of nurses |
25,771 |
37,783 |
|
Number of NCHDs |
2,341 |
4,859 |
|
Number of consultants |
1,109 |
2,228 |
Source: Health Service Personnel Census.
I wish to advise that the outstanding information will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as it is available.
327 Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Health and Children if all health centres here have been adequately upgraded in line with demographic requirements and best practice standards; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32575/08]
View answerUnder the Health Act 2004, the management and delivery of health and personal social services is the responsibility of the Health Service Executive. This includes operational responsibility for the upgrading of health centres. Accordingly, my Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have this matter investigated and to have a reply issued directly to the Deputy.
