Government massaging health spend figures, claims Sinn Féin TD

Government spending on agency staff for acute hospitals has increased by more than 60% since 2011 with more than €207m being paid to such workers last year.

Meanwhile, our public hospitals sent more than 31,000 referrals to private hospitals last year in an attempt to cut waiting lists.

The figures are obtained in parliamentary responses to questions by Sinn Féin TD David Cullinane who has accused the Government of “massaging” health-spending statistics by maintaining a recruitment embargo in the HSE for several years while simultaneously spending large sums on employing agency workers, mainly nurses, and outsourcing hospital procedures.