HSE spent €161.1m on agency staff last year

The amount of money spent on agency staff in acute public hospitals increased by over €9m last year.

University Hospital Limerick had by far the biggest spend in 2019.

According to details released under the Freedom of Information Act, more than €161.1m was spent on agency staff in the HSE’s acute hospitals last year.

It’s a 6% increase on the €151.8m spent in 2018.

Medical and dental staff accounted for nearly €67m of last year’s total, while nurses made up almost €31mn and €11.5m was spent on paramedics.

A total of €16.1m was spent on agency staff at University Hospital Limerick, while nearly €11m was spent in both Naas and Portlaoise hospitals.

The agency bill for Mullingar hospital came to nearly €10m.

The HSE says 94% of its pay budget each year is spent on directly employed staff, and reducing agency and overtime costs continues to be a particular focus.