Reforms threaten health board jobs

THE health service reforms to be announced by the Government this week will result in hundreds of health board office staff on contracts losing their jobs.

At tomorrow’s Cabinet meeting, government ministers are expected to back the radical plans being put forward jointly by Minister for Health Micheál Martin and Minister for Finance Charlie McCreevy.

The restructuring of the system will result in health boards being abolished and replaced by four regional healthcare bodies.

The slimmed-down system will require less administrative staff than are presently employed to manage the health service.

Doctors, nurses and other medical professionals will obviously be retained in their current roles and permanent and pensionable staff will be guaranteed to hold onto their jobs.

However, a senior health board source says contract staff in administrative positions are the most vulnerable to the expected cull and are growing increasingly anxious about their futures.

In recent years there has been a trend in some health boards towards hiring staff on a contract basis, right up to senior management levels.

“If you’re going to get rid of staff then the first ones to go are contract staff and these people are generally worried,” the source said.

According to another health service source, following the plan to its logical conclusion means the duplication of roles will be scrapped and, therefore, less administrative staff will be required in some areas.

The structure of the Department of Health is also expected to change dramatically but again civil servants will be guaranteed to hold onto their jobs.

Last night, the Department of Health refused to comment about the details of the plan.

The entire plan is expected to be published on either Wednesday or Thursday at a launch attended by the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, Mr Martin and Mr McCreevy.

Heralded as the largest reform of the health service in 30 years, the Cabinet memo was circulated to ministers just before the weekend.

Health Board chief executives have been preparing to fight for the retention of existing positions by receiving controversial media coaching, including sessions with RTÉ news anchorman Bryan Dobson.

The plan will take three years to implement and the restructuring will have to be negotiated with health service unions.

The proposals will see the Department of Health becoming responsible only for policy with the public health services to be managed by a new Health Service Executive Agency, comprising half the civil servants in the department at present and staff from another 30 State agencies.

Local services will be managed by four regional health bodies but benefit from economies of scale. The new National Hospitals Agency will run hospital services and decide where medical services will be located.

The Government’s plan is based upon the recommendations of two consultants’ reports, also due to be published this week but already extensively leaked.

The Prospectus Report looked at structures in the health service and was commissioned by Minister Martin, while the Brennan Report on funding was ordered by Minister McCreevy.