Ms Ashley Connolly:

My name is Ashley Connolly and I am head of the health and welfare division of Fórsa. I will be sharing my time for this opening statement with my colleague Ms Linda Kelly, our national secretary. Ms Orla Carroll, an executive member of our health and welfare division, and Mr. Martin Jennings, chairperson of the physiotherapy national professional committee, are also in attendance, as is Ms Corinne Phelan, who is seated in the Public Gallery.

Fórsa is the largest public sector trade union in the Republic of Ireland, representing over 33,000 members in our health and welfare division. Our submission today is focused solely on staffing levels in the HSE where Fórsa represents all clerical and administration grades and the vast majority of health and social care professionals. We intend to focus on three priority areas, namely the impact of current decision making on service provision, the need to protect public healthcare services and the likelihood of a national industrial dispute during the winter surge.

A survey of Fórsa members conducted in August 2024 clearly indicates that front-line services are being negatively impacted by the HSE recruitment embargo and by its replacement, the so-called pay and numbers strategy. The key results of our survey, Unfilled Posts, Unseen Consequences, are set out in our written submission, so I will not repeat them here. However, I want to read into the record the words of our members who are working on the front line about the impact of the pay and numbers strategy on the services they are providing.

Regarding speech and language services, respondents told us that there has been "an increase in waiting time for paediatrics" and that staff are unable to expand adult services. On occupational therapy, the strategy has resulted in "longer waiting times for patients. Patient length of stay has increased as patients have to wait longer to see OT”. In the clerical and administrative area, "services have fallen behind on essential duties, organisational problems have impacted the services causing problems for patients. Vacant posts hinder clinical teams in their day-to-day duties and some clinical teams are picking up admin work to keep service functioning". The story that the survey results show is very different to that which was portrayed by the joint chairs of the productivity and savings task force in front of this committee several weeks ago. The results of our survey have been reaffirmed at every location where we have held multi-union protests over the last couple of weeks. From Connolly Hospital in Dublin to Midland Regional Hospital in Tullamore the feedback is the same. Services are being curtailed or stopped, morale is on the floor and there does not seem to be any clear plan on how staffing for services is going to be managed under the pay and numbers strategy.

Fórsa is extremely concerned by reports last week that the human resources section of the HSE has directed all vacant posts to be switched off on the SAP payroll system. Such an approach, when coupled with the lack of transparency about the data underpinning the HSE pay and numbers strategy, should be of grave concern to this committee.

I will now hand over to my colleague Ms Kelly.