HSE early retirement is ‘shambolic’

A top businessman who looked into overhauling the British National Health System has said that the Government’s early retirement scheme is “shambolic” and will likely affect vital frontline health services.

Gerry Robinson, a native of Co Donegal and a former chairman of Allied Domecq and a past chief executive of Granada Television, said that the retirement plan, which could result in thousands of health staff quitting by the end of next month, was marked by “a lack of contingency planning”.

Speaking on Newstalk’s Breakfast programme, Mr Robinson said the scheme — which is also impacting on education and on An Garda Síochána — had been handled in “a last-minute kind of way” and meant the HSE would have to tackle any gaps created as a result in a “hand-to-mouth” way.