Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)

The matters the Deputy has raised are very serious and need to be properly and thoroughly followed through by the HSE. There are references there to conflicts of interest and value-for-money concerns, which are extremely concerning. Under initiatives to reduce waiting lists, the HSE can outsource to private hospitals under the surgical services framework and the private provider framework.

The HSE looks internally within and across hospital sites to deliver insourcing pathways. As part of the waiting list action plan, there is a focus on deploying additional weekend, evening and out-of-hours activity to reduce overall waiting lists. I understand that at the request of the Minister for Health, the CEO of the HSE has initiated a detailed survey of all insourcing activity in the HSE which will be assigned by finance, internal audit, HR and access integration functions. The CEO has also issued an instruction that all insourcing where existing staff are hired, engaged or paid by a separate entity to work on initiatives in their own place or type of work must now be paused. Only insourcing where the HSE directly engages its staff through payroll can continue until this survey has been completed.

The ultimate aim of the work is to move beyond the dependence the Deputy referenced on insourcing or outsourcing in favour of planned and stabilised rostering of all staff. An internal audit referenced by the Deputy on insourcing in UHL found that consultants carried out insourcing in the hospital. The audit found that consultants set up private companies and referred patients to their own companies, and that tender processes were not appropriately followed. The CEO of the HSE has instigated a review of insourcing across the HSE, as I said, not just because of the audit i have mentioned but also due to broader concerns about how it operates and value for money considerations.

On the instruction to pause work where existing staff are hired or engaged by a separate entity to work on initiatives in their own place, it is examining all arrangements and contractual agreements in an effort to pause this work as quickly as possible. I appreciate, having been made aware of this issue, that it is serious. If appropriate procedures have not been followed, there has to be full follow through from the HSE. All dimensions of the respective financial frameworks regarding insourcing and outsourcing should be followed by anyone working in the HSE. I have tried to provide some clarity on the matter today.

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