Report: Jobs freeze could cripple HSE

THE staffing crisis which has been seriously hampering the delivery of mental health services could cripple the wider health services early next year, it has been warned.

The effect of the recruitment freeze is beginning to seriously impact all grades of staff across the service — even those which had been exempted from the ban — and proposals to offset costs of agency staff to fill the gaps would require a change in government policy, according to documents obtained under the Freedom of Information (FoI) Act.

“Across the spectrum, people will be leaving the services and the crisis hitting the mental health services is going to be across the board,” said a senior source within the HSE.