The Midlands Regional Portlaoise spent a massive €4.4 miliion on temporary agency staff in first five months of 2019.
Speaking this morning, Laois TD Brian Stanley said that agency staff spending, ‘is out of control’ for 2019 at the Midlands Regional Hospital Portlaoise.
Deputy Stanley said: “Figures released to my colleague and Sinn Féin Health Spokesperson, Deputy Louise O’Reilly, have shown how rampant spending on temporary agency staff instead of directly employing staff is financially crippling the health service.
“The data received from the HSE revealed that the Health Service has spent over €135 million on agency staff in the first five months of the year. That is a spending of €900,000 a day on agency staff in hospitals and community healthcare organisations.
“The reliance on agency staff in Portlaoise General hospital is enormous and very worrying – in five months €4.4m was spent.’’
“This practice is not good value for money in the first instance, and it is not good for patients or other full-time staff. There can be no doubt that the recruitment embargo on full time staff is clearly causing an increase in agency spending.
“The over-reliance on the use of costly agency staff is a direct result of the escalation of the recruitment and retention crisis under this government; unless the recruitment and retention crisis is addressed, then this rampant agency spending will continue to cripple the health service,” concluded Deputy Stanley.
SEE ALSO – Latest digital co-working hub opens in Mountmellick
