The provision and management of services, in the Western Health Board are, in the first instance, a matter for the board. This responsibility necessarily involves the identification by the board of staffing and service needs in the board within the context of the overall resources available to it.
Proposals for the filling of new and replacement posts in a permanent capacity are reviewed on a regular basis by my Department. This review is undertaken having regard to service and personnel criteria in the context of the priority afforded to each post by the agency concerned and with particular regard to the availability of financial resources.
As essential part of this process is the requirement that agencies prioritise their manpower proposals. Accordingly, the Western Health Board was requested by my Department towards the end of last year to make a formal submission prioritising its current consultant manpower proposals for its acute hospitals, for consideration in the context of the financial resources available to the board in 1994 and having regard to personnel and service criteria. The board recently sent to my Department a formal prioritised submission detailing 22 additional consultant posts for its acute hospitals.
My Department is giving consideration to this submission. As part of this process, discussions have been initiated and are ongoing between officials of my Department and the Western Health Board in the matter. The approval of additional consultant posts is being considered in the light of available resources in this context.
