Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)

I have previously made it clear that I want to see appropriate staffing structures in place throughout our public health service. This includes management structures and front line service delivery. My main aim in management structures is to ensure clarity of roles, responsibilities and reporting relationships to improve the overall governance and management of our health services. The board and management of the HSE have been considering possible improvements in their existing management structures which would optimise their operational or service delivery capacity. These proposals are still being finalised and will be considered by me in the near future.

Separately, the HSE has commissioned a review of its administrative staffing. I understand this review indicates that the HSE is not over-resourced in clerical, administrative and managerial staff compared to Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Between December 2004 and March 2008, direct front line service staff in both the HSE national hospitals area and primary and community care have increased by approximately 10% while HSE corporate staff levels have reduced by a similar proportion. A properly planned and managed voluntary redundancy scheme could have an important role in helping to streamline management within the HSE and, as a result, in improving the delivery of health services to patients. Such a scheme would need to be built upon a clearly delineated organisational structure and the associated human resource requirements. It would also need to demonstrate that it will deliver value for money, having regard to other options such as natural wastage and the scope for re-deployment.

Discussions about a possible redundancy scheme are still at an exploratory stage. In accordance with established practice in the public service, any such scheme would operate on a voluntary basis and would require the approval of the Minister for Finance. There would also need to be discussions with the relevant staff associations. This option requires further work but could help deliver significant benefits in terms of a much more streamlined and integrated management structure.

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