€51m was spent over a wide area, says HSE

IN response to the letter from Edward Lynch (March 17), I would like to point out to him that the HSE has not spent €51 million on public relations services or “spin doctors,” as was inaccurately reported in a headline in the Irish Examiner (February 24).

The inaccurate and unfair headline fails to reflect the fact that the figure includes payments for HSE-commissioned work across a wide range of |areas and functions for the period 2005-’08. It also fails to reflect that the figure accounts for payment to various consultancy agencies and individuals for activities pertaining to the health sector which includes health promotion campaigns, advertising, human resources studies and research, and personnel training as well as important reviews of acute hospital bed utilisation, paediatric neurosurgery and a hygiene audit, to name but a few.

As part of our value-for-money initiatives currently underway, spending on all forms of external consultancy has been cut dramatically for 2009 and 2010.