17,000 HSE workers are in desk jobs

NEARLY 17,000 of the 102,000 people working for the Health Service Executive are employed in desk/office jobs, the HSE admitted last night.

But a spokesman for the HSE denied the number of managers earning over 75,000 has almost doubled since it came into being.

The HSE defended the huge number of office workers, saying many, including telephonists and receptionists, support front-line medical services.

The HSE said only 3,000 were employed in “administrative” posts, but the office staff numbers swelled to 16,000 when “clerical and management” numbers were included.

Martin McDonald, the HSE’s national director of human resources, said: “It’s time for commentators and vested interests to stop propagating the myth of a health service overburdened with administrators and to work with the HSE on delivering real reform within the health services.”

Those doing administrative work, he said, ensured suppliers were paid in a timely fashion, that staff and contractors were paid, that ICT infrastructure was supported, and technical services were provided within healthcare facilities.

“It is not considered excessive and compares favourably with other large organisations,” he said.

At the end of 2005 the HSE had 101,972 employees, of which 16,699 were in the clerical/administrative/management areas.

With regard to recent media reports of a purported increase in the number of managers earning over €75,000, Mr McDonald said there had been no significant increase in the numbers of managers since the HSE was established. The pay of administrative staff, as with other grades, is determined independently of the HSE through mechanisms such as national wage agreements and benchmarking.

Mr McDonald said staffing in the health service is calculated within six categories, one of which is management/administrative grades.

He said it is important to understand that the category can be misleading, as it includes a majority within its ranks that are actually supporting frontline service delivery.

“Typically these staff would include consultants secretaries, telephonists and receptionists, outpatient department staff.”

Asked about a recent advertisement for a head of communications with a salary of up to €100,000, Mr McDonald said this job was necessary to bring the unit together.

“Communications is key to the reform of the health service, we have health messages, health promotion, entitlements, access to benefits, internal communications with staff, we’ve a website, we’ve publications so we need someone to pull that together.”

He said there are eight staff working in the Dublin office responsible for communications.