Nurses complained about training courses

CLINICAL nurse managers had complained to the HSE about being forced to attend PPARS training courses when hospital staffing levels were at critical levels, it was revealed yesterday.

The Irish Nurses Organisation (INO) has described such moves as being “indicative of the obsession with PPARS” within the HSE.

They also said nurse and doctor training rooms in the HSE Southern Area were taken over by the PPARS team without consultation with medical staff, who were left without premises.

Fine Gael also revealed yesterday that tests in the Midland Health Board showed 43% of employee payslips produced by PPARS were found to contain inaccuracies.

The party also claimed that 20 nurses were overpaid by €200-€800 under the system while another employee who had left the Midland Health Board received payments through the system.

Fine Gael say they have been inundated with complaints about the system in the past 48 hours.

Party leader Enda Kenny said: “PPARS has had a draining effect on frontline staff and the Taoiseach’s continuing defence of the PPARS system has been contradicted by mounting evidence of failings in the system.”