Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 April 2024
676. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Health his Department’s position on the embargo on recruitment to the health service, specifically the situation where positions for nursing staff are vacant and persons are on panels at various hospitals. [18972/24]
View answerThere has been an unprecedented level of investment by this Government in the health service workforce in recent years which has seen consistent growth each year since 2020. The growth in the number of staff recruited in 2023 was the highest since the foundation of the HSE.
As of the end of February 2024, there were 147,968 staff working in our health service. There are 28,155 more staff than there were at the beginning of 2020 representing a 23% increase.
This 28,155 increase includes 9,340 nurses and midwives; 4,194 health and social care professionals; and 2,935 doctors and dentists.
However, by November 2023 the HSE had exceeded its allocated funded workforce targets and, it was in response to this, that Bernard Gloster announced the recruitment pause in November 2023. The pause excluded Consultants, Graduate Nurses and Doctors in formal training programmes. This exemption was later extended to include Critical Flow and Emergency Department under specific cases, Radiation therapists and Graduate HSCPs.
In 2023, the HSE was funded to recruit just over an additional 6,000 staff, but in fact hired 8,239, an excess of more than 2,000 staff than they were funded for. A situation whereby the HSE continuously exceeds funded workforce targets could not be prolonged and it is for this reason that I fully support the decision of the HSE CEO. It is crucial that the HSE operates within budgeted levels and that prudent controls are in place to ensure the workforce growth is managed in an affordable and sustainable manner.
I can confirm that I have secured funding for an additional 2,268 staff for 2024 as well as funding for approximately an additional 707 in the disability area.
At present the HSE is finalising its Pay and Numbers Strategy for 2024. Finalisation of the Strategy will enable the HSE to set out its recruitment targets in each area for 2024 and will inform decisions at local level on the filling of available posts across all grades and specialties.
