HSE’s €100 per hour bill for locums

Hospitals are paying agencies €100 an hour for locums to plug the gaps in emergency departments (EDs) when the shortfall could be substantially addressed by creating a new grade of staff doctor.

That’s according to the Irish Association of Emergency Medicine (IAEM) which claims eight hospitals have a vacancy rate of 50% or more when it comes to unfilled registrar (middle grade) posts in EDs.

The figures are based on the IAEM’s census of medical staffing in EDs for January and taking into account the effect of the India and Pakistan junior doctor recruitment drive.