Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Arising from Budget 2015, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform announced an easing of restrictions on the employment of additional staff. Submission of a Pay and Numbers Strategy, outlining planned staffing levels and pay/pensions expenditure was required to obtain sanction for the lifting of the moratorium and Employment Control Framework arrangements.

The HSE are currently working with my Department on the preparation of their 2016 Pay and Numbers Strategy. This has involved the development of ‘bottom up’ workforce plans at hospital and community service level. While these plans are being developed, interim recruitment measures have been put in place by the HSE, which require that pay budgets are complied with.

These measures do not impact on a hospital’s ability to recruit where funding exists to facilitate that recruitment; for example in the case of replacement posts or where funding has been allocated for particular roles under the HSE service plan. Recruitment can also take place in areas of critical care and emergency services.

Improving waiting times for scheduled care for patients is a key priority for the Minister of Health and for Government. In 2015, the HSE was provided with additional funding to ensure that maximum waiting times of 18 months by 30 June 2015 and 15 months by year end would be achieved for inpatient and day case treatment and outpatient appointments. By maximising capacity across public and voluntary hospitals, as well as outsourcing activity where the capacity was unavailable to meet patient needs, HSE figures for end Dec 2015 showed 95% achievement for In-patient and Day Case waiting listsand 93% for outpatient waiting lists,against the 15 months maximum wait times.

At the end of April there were around 400,000 patients on the outpatient waiting list and 74,000 on the inpatient/day case list. Over 60% of patients on waiting lists wait less than 6 months for their required care and 94% are waiting less than the maximum waiting time of 15 months. The fact that the majority of people on waiting lists (over 60%) are waiting less than 6 months indicates that there is a consistent high demand for healthcare.

My Department will continue to work with the HSE to ensure that the service needs and waiting times in this area will be addressed, having regard to the overall level of resources available to the HSE.

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Arising from Budget 2015, the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform announced an easing of restrictions on the employment of additional staff. Submission of a Pay and Numbers Strategy, outlining planned staffing levels and pay/pensions expenditure was required to obtain sanction for the lifting of the moratorium and Employment Control Framework arrangements.

This change allows for greater autonomy to be delegated to Departments and Agencies to manage their own staffing levels within allocated pay frameworks. It also provides for further recruitment flexibility, for example where it is determined that offering permanent contracts can achieve more economical service delivery than agency usage.

The HSE are currently working with my Department on the preparation of their 2016 Pay and Numbers Strategy. This has involved the development of ‘bottom up’ workforce plans at hospital and community service level. While these plans are being developed, interim recruitment measures have been put in place by the HSE, which require that pay budgets are complied with.

These measures do not impact on a hospital’s ability to recruit where funding exists to facilitate that recruitment; for example in the case of replacement posts or where funding has been allocated for particular roles under the HSE service plan. Recruitment can also take place in areas of critical care and emergency services.