Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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2644. To ask the Minister for Health if his attention has been drawn to the fact that persons on national panels for psychologist staff grade posts have not been made aware of the new recruitment campaign and change in the panel process; and the steps he is taking to address this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38577/21]

Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail)
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The recruitment of Psychologists to positions in the HSE is an operational issue for the HSE.

I understand from the HSE that they publicly advertised a recruitment campaign for Psychologist Staff Grade on 24 May 2021. The recruitment campaign closing date was extended to 14 June 2021. It is standard practice to advertise recruitment opportunities in the Careers section of the HSE website. In addition, a notification of this opportunity was issued to the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI), to Health Psychology Managers Ireland (HPSI), and to the universities in Ireland (HEIs) with recognised professional psychology courses.

As the deputy is aware on 15 May 2021, the HSE was subject to a cyber-attack and all IT systems were shut down. The HSE website main page contained specific advice for recruitment activity during the cyberattack, along with a Helpline phone number. In addition, the psychology advertisement and notifications explained the difficulties caused by the cyberattack and provided advice for existing panel members.

Following the cyber-attack, the National Recruitment Service (NRS) no longer had access to any recruitment systems or records (including recruitment panels). Understandably, the priority was and is to restore diagnostic and medical systems, and there is no timetable for the return of access to other support systems.

Access to some records were returned 8 June 2021. As a result, the NRS could contact the psychology panel members to inform them that the panel would expire and extended the closing date of the recruitment campaign. The HSE have advised that the number of applications received by the original closing date was significant, indicating the majority of existing panel members were aware of the expiry of the panel. This, with the direct communication to all panel members, plus the extension of the closing date, sought to ensure that all individuals interested in employment opportunities could apply.

In relation to the change in the panel process, the HSE have confirmed that on 15th March 2021 new eligibility criteria for the role of Psychologist in the HSE were published. The new eligibility criteria were established following multi stakeholder consultation and the purpose being to ensure that the psychology recruitment could meet the needs of evolving and developing health and social care services in the Irish Health Service. As a result, the NRS are required to advertise for Psychologists using the new eligibility criteria and expire recruitment panels based on the old eligibility criteria. The current recruitment campaign advised that existing panels will expire when the new panel is in place (expected end August 2021).

Applicants are informed at advertisement stage that panels are in existence for one year but may be extended. The Commission for Public Service Appointments have advised the HSE that national panels (high volume of applicants and vacancies) should not be maintained for longer than three years. However, as the eligibility criteria used to form the existing panels no longer applies, the NRS was not in a position to continue using existing panels once the new panel is formed. As a courtesy, the NRS informed panel members that a panel will expire.

The NRS advertise opportunities to join the Psychology panel at approximately the same period each year on the HSE website, to ensure that the HSE offers opportunities to the postgraduate cohorts of exiting recognised psychology programmes, and to any other qualified individuals.

The generation of a national panel for a particular grade of staff within the HSE ensures that panel members have access to all opportunities within the HSE, rather than having to apply multiple times for individual opportunities. In addition, this ensures that the HSE has access to the widest number of psychologists. Recruitment activity is conducted in partnership with the HSE Principal Psychology Managers.

As all existing panels are due to expire, it also means that all applicants are being afforded equal opportunity to attain a place on the primary panel. At present, there are two panels ahead of the 2020 panel – a primary panel created in 2018 and a supplementary panel created in 2019. Existing panels take precedence over supplementary panels meaning that all candidates on the 2018 and 2019 panel automatically have a higher order of merit than those candidates placed on the 2020 panel. Job offers made to the panel are done by order of merit.