Redundant ‘fifth column’ threat to health service

WHEN the HSE was formed, there should have been multiple redeployments, early retirements and redundancies among staff of the defunct health boards.

In any real business this would have been the inevitable consequence of the health service merger.

Instead, in the interests of industrial peace, the Government conceded there would be no redundancies and no forced relocations.

The end result has to be an organisation with overlapping functionaries, sections with no meaningful role to perform and disgruntled employees who have lost status and career prospects.

This substantial ‘fifth column’ — some of it at senior level — has no interest in ensuring the success of the HSE and would feel vindicated if the new structure proves unworkable.

These supernumaries wouldn’t have to look too far to find natural allies among representatives of the various interest groups who are at odds with the HSE — not just employee groups such as consultants and nurses, but also local hospital support groups.

The Government replicated this flawed approach in its efforts to cover up the nonsense that passes for its decentralisation strategy.

The danger is that, with the election in sight, the Government will simply try to buy industrial peace in the health service by conceding on all fronts, wasting even more public money.

If this approach is adopted, it increases the risk of the entire health service becoming even more dysfunctional.

Peter Molloy

9 Haddington Park

Glenageary

Co Dublin