HSE recruitment freeze throws up issues for nurses and midwives returning from career breaks
One member of staff told the Irish Examiner that they had been unable to return to work despite agency staff being used to fill roles in her workplace. File picture
A "lack of clarity" surrounding nurses and midwives who are returning to the HSE following a career break is a "cause for concern", the union representing them has said.
Some staff who took career breaks have reported issues when returning to work due to the HSE's recruitment freeze, which ended last month. One member of staff told the that they had been unable to return to work despite agency staff being used to fill roles in her workplace.
Another said that there was "huge confusion" about whether they would be able to return to work or when, while a third said that the delay in a return had seen them seek alternative employment because they "still have bills to pay".
HSE staff who have passed their probation are entitled to apply for career breaks of between one and five years. The terms of the agreement say that staff may have to take lower grade work as a "temporary arrangement" if a vacancy is not available.
The HSE said that one of the terms of the HSE career break scheme "obliges the organisation to re-employ staff members who take a career break to a post at their substantive grade" but that this was "within 12 months of the end of their career break".
Staff have been told that issues have arisen due to the recruitment freeze which had been in place since last October.
This freeze was entered into as part of a plan to address significant budget overruns in the health service but was ended by HSE head Bernard Gloster last month.
The HSE said that it has finalised its Pay and Numbers Strategy "following detailed discussion over the last number of months with the Department of Health and the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform".
It said that there is now a new approved maximum staff figure for the HSE and Section 38 Agencies of 129,753 and that this figure includes "an additional 3,310 new service development posts".
A spokesperson added that the HSE's health regions will be entitled to prioritise which posts are recruited.
"Each of the six HSE Health Regions and each national service will be provided with its own specified number of WTEs and they can, within that approved number, replace, recruit and prioritise posts. This provides greater flexibility for Health Regions and national services to respond to the needs of the population and prioritise posts appropriately."
However, the head of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) Phil Ní Sheaghda said that those who took career breaks and are due to return should be brought back to their jobs "immediately".
“The lack of clarity surrounding nurses and midwives returning to their posts following a career break is a cause of concern. Directors of nursing and midwifery have made it known that the HSE’s recruitment freeze is still causing difficulties across the board in the provision of public healthcare.
"Nurses and midwives who are on a career break and are ready to return to work should be welcomed back to the workforce immediately.”
In a parliamentary response to Fine Gael's David Stanton in June, Health Minister Stephen Donnelly said that funding had been made available for 2,969 staff for 2024 and that this would enable the hiring of staff coming off career breaks.
