HSE spends €45m on agency staff

THE Health Service Executive (HSE) spent almost €45 million hiring agency staff to fill vacancies in the first five months of last year, more than three years into its ban on filling permanent posts.

In addition, an outside recruitment agency received payments of over €200,000 to hire on the HSE’s behalf — even though the executive has its own national recruitment service (NRS) with a staff of 57, as well as access to the Public Appointment Services which recruits for the HSE free of charge.

The HSE hired Co Clare- based TTM Healthcare recruitment agency in 2007, the same year it introduced its recruitment embargo in a battle to keep costs down.