Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have pursued a robust testing and contact tracing strategy. The HSE has worked intensively to put in place a comprehensive, reliable and responsive testing and tracing operation in a very short timeframe.  The redeployment of existing staff from other areas of the HSE, including front-line services as the Deputy pointed out, was an essential part of this response.

Since the height of the pandemic there has been a significant return of staff to non-Covid front-line roles. This has been facilitated by an ongoing recruitment process through which the HSE has recruited 675 new contact tracers and 565 swabbers to date. Recruitment in these areas will continue until the targets of dedicated staff of 800 in contact tracing and 1,000 in swabbing are met. This will allow the remaining redeployed staff to return to their original roles.

I have been informed that there are 411 staff currently redeployed to swabbing operations, made up of both healthcare workers and non-patient-facing administrative and management staff. Of the staff currently redeployed to contact tracing, none is from patient-focused roles. Areas such as complex contact tracing will continue to require some level of redeployed community staff. Where these staff remain in Covid-19 services, it is intended that their substantive posts will be back-filled. While we remain cognisant of the potential for future demands associated with surges in Covid-19 transmission, the aim is to return redeployed staff to their substantive posts as soon as possible and to ensure that posts are back-filled when this is not possible. I have asked the HSE to expedite this process.  At the end of September, I also announced plans to double the workforce in our public health departments by hiring more public health doctors, public health nurses, scientists and support staff. That hiring process has commenced.

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