Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour) | Oireachtas source

When I submitted this question the industrial action was still live and I am happy that it has been suspended and the parties are back at the WRC. However, we need to use this time wisely. A consistency with this Government when it comes to industrial relations issues, not just in the Department of Health but across all Departments, is a hands-off approach and no sense that the Government wants to get things resolved. This dispute is not just about pay; it is also about retention. We have a massive shortage of medical scientists and we have seen a haemorrhaging of them from the profession over the last number of years. One thing that has come up in parliamentary replies is that the HSE does not conduct exit interviews which means we do not have accurate information as to how many people have left the profession and why. This is something that must be standardised across the HSE and across all parts of our publicly-funded health service if we are serious about tackling the retention crisis.

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