New approach required to HSE bureaucracy

Hardly a day passes without some story of failure in our health services. 

This is not healthy for HSE workers or for the society that supports that huge organisation, the largest employer in the State. The HSE employs more than 100,000 citizens; some 67,000 are direct employees and the balance works for agencies funded by the HSE. That, roughly, represents 5% of the workforce.

Yesterday we reported how the HSE was unable to commission maternity hospital computer systems without external support. Today we point to a report that says the HSE appointed nearly three managers each week in the first half of 2017. That our health bureaucracy expands relentlessly despite a great shortage of doctors and nurses, along with third world waiting lists, is a justified cause of anger.

Michael O’Keeffe, a consultant ophthalmologist surgeon at the Mater and Temple Street hospitals, expressed some of that anger yesterday when he called on the minister to “get up off his butt” and hire more nurses, doctors, and consultants rather than more managers.

“If managers could solve the health crisis we would have the best health service in the world,” said Prof O’Keeffe.

We have had six health ministers since the turn of the century. Each has tried more or less the same policies to remake the HSE. None of them can claim any great success but costs escalate relentlessly. Are we too stupid or too indulgent?