CUH mental health unit spent €4m on agency staff, with annual cost tripling in six years

Pádraig Rice, Social Democrats health spokesman, said the 'colossal increase in agency spending must be reversed'. Picture: Larry Cummins 

The acute mental health unit at Cork University Hospital has spent more than €4m on temporary agency staff, with the annual cost almost tripling since 2019.

These new HSE figures come just two months after the Mental Health Commission (MHC) raised serious concerns about staffing levels at the unit.