Reilly: Plan in place to cope with exodus

The Government and HSE have said frontline services will come under increased pressure after more than 4,300 staff leave the health service this month.

One quarter of those leaving are doing so as a result of the Government’s early retirement scheme.

The HSE said in some areas — particularly the Mid-West — services that were already creaking due to employment embargoes and earlier retirements would come under greater strain.

Speaking before the Oireachtas committee on health and children yesterday, Health Minister James Reilly and HSE chief executive Cathal Magee said a plan was in place to shore up frontline services and more would be done with less.

Dr Reilly accused some members of the opposition of making “rash statements” that had caused anxiety to patients and service-users around the country. He stressed: “We will have a safe service.”

Dr Reilly said staff numbers in the system needed to be reduced to 102,000 whole-time equivalents or full-time positions this year, and “further reductions will be required over the coming years also”.

He said the HSE national service plan for 2012 “acknowledges that there will be an inevitable and unavoidable reduction in services this year because of the scale of the financial and staffing challenge facing the health service”.

He said clinicians and consultants had already provided additional cover but warned that the health service could not run “on a pro bono basis” and the issue would need to be addressed.

Measures to limit the impact of the cut in staff numbers include:

* Redeployment of staff.

* Better use of beds and operating theatres.

* More focus on day and community care.

* Service reorganisation.

* Changes to staff rosters.

* Greater staff flexibility.

* Consolidation of clinical management roles.

Mr Magee and Laverne McGuinness, director of HSE integrated services, said all efforts would be taken to minimise the impact on acute services and in many cases, new people would be hired.

Mr Magee said costs had been reduced in the acute system by 11% in the past two years while activity had increased 8%, putting “enormous pressure” on the system.

As for the likelihood of people retiring only to be rehired, Mr Reilly said this would only happen in “exceptional circumstances”.

Health staff losses

4,326 health staff will quit by the end of February.

* 2,347 had left by Feb 16.

*1,052 of those were early retirees.

*1,217 — number leaving in the South, making it the region hardest hit.

*1,490 will leave from acute hospitals.

*1,994 will leave from nursing posts, including 662 in nurse manager grades.

* €16m has been allocated for replacing critical service posts.