HSE spends €150m on agency workers

THE HSE spent more than €150 million to employ agency workers to replace staff who left the system or were blocked from jobs as part of cost-saving schemes last year — the highest rate in the organisation’s history.

Figures in the HSE’s annual report confirm that while redundancy packages and the recruitment embargo are saving money long-term, they are also creating serious and costly gaps in the system.

According to the document, available on www.hse.ie, in 2010 about €153.3 million was spent to pay for agency workers in medical, administrative and social care posts.