This article is from page 19 of the 2012-03-06 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 19 JPG
AS MANY as 1,222 people have retired from the HSE West since last September, but the HSE said it will employ more than 100 “essential” staff to cover some of the loss.
The health service area, which includes County Clare, has lost 680 people mostly front line staff to the Early Retirement Scheme since the beginning of the year.
In the former Mid Western Health Board area, made up of Clare, Limerick and North Tipperary, almost 300 staff had retired just one week before the cut-off mark of February 29. The majority of these staff – 205 – retired from the community sector, an area of health care that has been championed by the HSE as the way forward.
As many as 124 members of personnel retired from the Mid Western Hospital Group which includes Ennis General Hospital.
Four members of the ambulance service in the mid-west retired, with four more gone from corporate services.
At last week’s meeting of the HSE West regional forum, Clare member Cllr Brian Meaney (GP) asked if management had any idea of how the retirements would impact on services.
“Where are we going to have a staffing shortfall?” he asked.
Assistant National Director of HR Francis Rogers said that a robust contingency plans were in place to meet the shortfall.
Regional Director of Operations HSE West John Hennessy said the HSE “would be backfilling 123 post, particularly in midwifery, neonatal services and intensive care”.