HSE branded 'a cash cow' over €458m spend on external consultants

The spend of €113m on private management consultancy would pay for 1,100 top-level HSE managerial staff, a HSE briefing document shows.

The HSE spent more than €458m last year on a range of external consultancy firms, new figures show, leading one TD to warn that the State has become “a cash cow” for such companies.

The figure is €57m higher than what was spent in 2021. It includes €113m on private management consultancy mainly to six large firms, legal fees of €24.5m, and €313.5m on professional fees including outsourcing of homecare and waiting list initiatives.