The Government has decided that the numbers employed across the public service must be reduced in order to meet fiscal and budgetary targets. The health sector must make its contribution to that reduction. Subject to compliance with national policy, particularly in relation to the employment control framework, it is a matter for the HSE to determine the composition of its staffing complement.
The HSE is continually pursuing measures to achieve staffing economies. The National Service Plan for 2013 identifies a range of objectives to be advanced, including work practice changes for identified health disciplines, systematic reviews of rosters, skill-mix and staffing levels, increased use of re-deployment, further productivity increases and a focused approach to addressing absenteeism and implementing revised new sick leave arrangements.
The Plan also provides for tight control of the use of higher-cost staffing arrangements and in particular the use of agency staffing and overtime working. The graduate nurse placement initiative will provide participants with frontline working experience and professional development opportunities, while at the same time providing additional nursing capacity at service level.
The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform approved this employment initiative on the basis that participants would not be counted in health service staff numbers and that it would contribute to savings on unsustainable levels of agency and overtime expenditure. The HSE's National Service Plan for 2013 provides for a saving of €10m in the current year, arising from the introduction of this scheme. Given the requirement on the HSE to reduce numbers employed and to maximise savings, there is only very limited scope to offer permanent nursing posts at present.