HSE spend on agency workers surges by over €100m

"We know that agency staffing comes at a significant premium, of up to 20%," said Sinn Féin’s health spokesman, David Cullinane. "This is a complete waste of taxpayers' money."

'At times, the HSE has been unable to fill a vacancy, even via agencies,' said Sarah Anderson, general manager at the HSE.

The amount of money the HSE spent on agency staff increased by over €100m last year.

New data provided to Sinn Féin’s health spokesman, David Cullinane, shows that €903.4m was spent on agency staff wages in 2025.

When the agency spending in voluntary hospitals is excluded, the total spent in 2025 was €832m, up from €726m the previous year.

This is despite the HSE acknowledging that it has failed to fill some vacancies due to a shortage of agency staff.

The HSE confirmed that in 2025, some €832.4m was spent on agency staff across all HSE divisions, compared to €726.3m spent on agency staffing in 2024, an increase of €106.1m (14%).

Across the six HSE health regions and its corporate services section, spending on agency staff for older persons' services rose by €18.3m. It increased by €4.1m in HSE Dublin and North, and by €4.3 m in Dublin and South East. However, it fell by €4.1m in the Dublin and Midlands region.

Spending on agency staff for disabilities across all HSE areas rose by €17.8m, while mental health agency staff spending rose by €14.6m.#

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Agency staffing in Cavan/Monaghan General Hospital rose by €6.3m, while spending rose by €7.7m in Naas General Hospital, and €8.6m in Mullingar General Hospital.

The €832m spent on agency staffing in 2025 does not include the cost of agency staff in voluntary hospitals, which adds an extra €70.9m. There are no comparable figures for 2024.

It brings the total spend on agency staffing last year to €903.4m.

The Mater in Dublin spent €16.4m on agency staff. This was followed by Beaumont (€8.8m), CHI Temple Street (€7.7m), and CHI Crumlin (€7.7m).

'Constant challenge'

Sarah Anderson, general manager at the HSE, told Mr Cullinane that “available supply in the labour market for health workforce continues to be a challenge”.

She said the recruitment and retention of clinical, nursing, and other key staff is a “constant challenge”, adding that agency staff are used to fill gaps caused by illness, to replace vacancies while recruitment is under way, and to cover maternity leave.

“At times, the HSE has been unable to fill a vacancy, even via agency,” Ms Anderson said.

“The agencies have indicated that they are experiencing difficulty in recruiting themselves, due to a lack of availability and also accommodation availability and costs.”

'Extremely wasteful'

Mr Cullinane told the Irish Examiner the figures represent an “extremely wasteful use of public money, driven by short-sighted Government policy”.

“It shows that the Government really does not understand the health service, because every clumsy effort they make to cut costs only seems to increase spending,” he said.

“This is because hospitals need to hire these staff one way or another to deliver safe and timely care.

“The minister for health needs to acknowledge that the recruitment embargo was wrong and has not worked. The HSE pay and numbers strategy has failed. We know that agency staffing comes at a significant premium, of up to 20%. This is a complete waste of taxpayers' money.”

Mr Cullinane said the health service requires a “conversion strategy" and a “proper” workforce plan that would see “good public jobs” funded by the money currently being spent on agency staff.