Regional health hubs relying on non-approved agency workers

In 2022, some €64m was spent by the HSE on staff from agencies not included in a 2017 framework agreement.

Regional health hubs’ reliance on non-approved agency healthcare workers could see patients treated by staff without adequate medical clearance or who have failed to undergo mandatory vetting, two new reports find.

Just under a quarter of the HSE’s €259m spend on agency doctors and healthcare assistants in 2022 came from non-approved sources, an issue posing a potentially systemic risk according to the two separate HSE internal audit reports.