Health | Adequate Staffing in Health Services

QUESTION

To ask the Minister for Health the extent to which adequate staffing has or is being achieved at all levels throughout the health services, with a view to ensuring maximum operational levels; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

REPLY

Dear Deputy,  

I refer to your recent Parliamentary Question which was sent to the HSE for response. 

Our workforce is our most valuable asset and the focus of the HSEs recruitment activities will be to expand through recruitment, and equally to retain our existing workforce. 

HSE National HR continues to support the vision of the HSE Corporate Plan 2021-2024, the Health Services People Strategy 2019-2024, responding to the staff survey 2021 and overall organisational objectives. A Key objective in the HSE National  Service Plan 2023 is to expand recruitment capacity and recruitment planning through the devolved recruitment operating model. 

As outlined in the 2023 HSE National Service Plan, this requires that  

∙ HSE HR works closely with stakeholders across the services, in government, education, regulatory bodies and relevant  third parties to maximise a sufficient domestic supply of healthcare staff Service Delivery Enablers National Service Plan  2023  

∙ Develop a resourcing strategy for the HSE to address short, medium and long-term workforce requirements, across the  professions with a particular focus on increasing clinical and support staffing numbers across the services to enable the  implementation of Sláintecare 

∙ Continue to enhance our organisation’s capacity to attract, develop, retain and engage the workforce that will support  our services to deliver against the HSE’s strategic goals. Ensure early recruitment of health care professional graduates  across nursing and health and social care grades  

∙ Progress and implement the transition plans for the new Recruitment Operating Model underpinned by integrated  digital enablers to provide national visibility across all recruitment activity in the HSE  

∙ Identify existing supply from Irish colleges in collaboration with the DoH and other relevant stakeholders and identify  the relevant gaps. The HSE will work with the Department of Further and Higher Education, through the DoH, to secure  additional spaces and relevant infrastructure to satisfy future needs  

∙ Further develop the Gradlink programme to attract new graduates, nurture talent and benefit from multi-generational  working  

∙ Engage appropriately with third-party agencies including a managed service provider and the Public Appointments Service to maximise available supports and markets 

∙ Expand existing and new international recruitment frameworks to maximise our reach to available pools of qualified  applicants across a range of grades to supplement domestic graduate recruitment and engage with third party agencies  including a managed service provider and the Public Appointments Service to deliver resourcing requirements  nationally and internationally  

∙ In order to expand our overall consultant workforce, the HSE will market internationally the benefits of the new  Consultant Contract together with continuing to implement process improvements to streamline hiring timeframes and  the overall candidate experience 

∙ Implement the evolving recommendations from the Non-Consultant Hospital Doctor (NCHD) Taskforce to improve the  retention of doctors in the services.

Employment levels at the end of September 2023, show there were 143,075 WTE (equating to 162,042 personnel) directly  employed in the provision of Health & Social Care Services by the HSE and the various Section 38 hospitals & agencies. 

Year-to-date employment levels continue to show strong growth at +5,330 WTE with the overall increase since December 2019  now at +23,258 (+19.4%). 

I trust this clarifies and is of some assistance. 

Yours sincerely, 

Marie O’Sullivan 

National HR