Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 14 February 2012
681 Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Health if a transition team has been established with his Department to manage the exodus of staff from the health services to avail of pension entitlements before the end of February; the members of the transition teams; when were they established; and the number of times the team has met. [7924/12]
View answerConsiderable work has been undertaken by my Department and the HSE in recent months to deal with and plan for retirements from the health sector, together with the reduction in financial resources available for the health services in the current year. My approval on 16 January 2012 of the HSE National Service Plan followed a rigorous examination of budget allocations and human resources, aimed at minimising the impact on frontline services and identifying where efficiencies will be driven. In recent weeks my Department has been briefed in detail on the HSE Regional Service Plans and the measures being taken to safeguard service provision in the current year.
Building on these engagements and to oversee the response to the specific short-term impact of Grace Period retirements, I have established a formal Transition Team for the health sector, chaired by the Assistant Secretary in my Department with responsibility for Human Resources and Professional Regulation. The other members of this Team are the HSE National Director of Integrated Services, the Executive's National Director of Quality and Patient Safety and the four Regional Directors of Operations. The Transition Team first met on 2 February 2012.
