Richard Boyd Barrett criticises agency hiring after 'Call for Ireland' shortfall
Richard Boyd Barrett addressed the minister on the use of recruitment agencies during the pandemic and criticised the low conversion of 'call for Ireland' volunteers into HSE jobs. He called the numbers "pitiful" and pressed for the cost of using a recruitment firm like CPL to be disclosed.
Recruitment shortfall
The deputy highlighted that of 70,000 people who applied under the call for Ireland, only 111 were recruited through recruitment agencies, a figure he described as "pitiful" given ongoing staffing pressures for COVID and non-COVID care.
Available candidates not employed
He noted that a further 663 applicants were listed as job ready and available for employment, suggesting these qualified people were being kept on hold rather than hired. The deputy said the explanation offered — that hiring directly would threaten HSE payroll stability — was "nonsense" and demanded clarity.
HSE recruitment totals and placements
The minister responded with additional HSE recruitment figures: 1,412 hires via the national recruitment campaign; 1,082 student nurses and midwives employed as healthcare assistants; 80 additional medical scientists; 98 rehires; and 926 new doctors. He said 1,976 people had been successful at interviewing and would be placed, bringing the total new or in-process hires to 4,574.
Cost and follow-up promised
The minister undertook to obtain and provide the deputy with the cost of using CPL and other recruitment firms and to follow up in writing on the outstanding queries about agency performance and numbers.
St Mary's Centre closure concern
The deputy raised a separate issue about St Mary's Centre on Merion Road, run by the Sisters of Charity, saying the centre — which reportedly had no COVID cases — faces closure for failing to meet HICWA requirements. He argued the state should step in to take over the nursing home for the vulnerable, and the minister said he would speak to the HSE and revert in writing.
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Minister, I've raised on a number of occasions my disquiet at the fact that you decided to go through recruitment agencies like CPL to recruit staff for the health service during the pandemic, the 70,000 people who volunteered, bravely volunteered, on the call for Ireland. I asked a question recently of you which was passed on to the HSE about the cost of using CPL and agencies like that. Deputy, you can just refer to them as a recruitment company please. Recruitment agencies and I simply didn't get an answer, I mean I got other answers but not the answer about how much it costs, but also what I was told which is fairly extraordinary is that of the 70,000 people who applied for call for Ireland, 111 have been recruited, now that is pitiful, pitiful, 111 against a background where we have a dire need for increased staffing for COVID and non-COVID care where we are already in a chronic situation in terms of capacity, we have more levels of staff, we have more levels of staffing before COVID and we have additional needs and these agencies have managed to recruit 111 people. 663 are job ready and available for employment when they are required which suggests we are deliberately not employing people even though they are qualified to do the job, we are just sort of keeping them on hold. 663 is extraordinary and in so far as there was an explanation as to why we have gone through these agencies it was because it would threaten the stability of the existing HSE payroll structure which is just nonsense as far as I am concerned. 663 can you shed any light on this pitiful failure by these agencies, the refusal to recruit people through the call for Ireland and that really bogus explanation as to why we use these agencies in the first place. 663 certainly the deputy deserves an answer in relation to the cost of using a recruitment firm and I will certainly undertake to get that answer for the deputy who had not directly seen the query but now that you have brought it to my attention we will follow up on that and reverse to you in relation to that. 663 I do need to say though when we talk about HSE recruitment and Ireland on call and the likes we do have to look at the total number of people who have been hired through the different doors and the different routes and I do not want to use up all of your time but for example some people who have applied for being on call for Ireland might have also directly applied rather to the HSE's national recruitment campaign which hired 1,412 people. We hired 1,082 student nurses and midwives as healthcare assistants so not as students but as actual healthcare assistants. We hired 80 additional medical scientists, we rehired 98 other people and we hired 926 new doctors. We have 1,976 people who have been successful at interviewing and be on call for Ireland and will now be placed. So when I add up all of those figures I have read out it brings me to a total of 4,574 additional people who have been hired or in the process of being placed. As a result of our recruitment campaign and thankfully we haven't needed everybody in the way that we thought we might or feared we might. But we are going to sorry we are going to still need additional people for the non-Covid care as well. Still the the agency's pitiful failure and leaving hundreds hundreds not recruited who are who are actually qualified is inexplicable and not giving us the cost. I have one additional question about St Mary's Centre on the Merion Road run by the Sisters of Charity who are saying they are going to have to close because they are unable to meet the HICWA requirements. Now this is a centre where there was no, for the vulnerable and the elderly there was no Covid cases at all in there which suggests it's not a bad place. And yet they are saying they have to close because they can't afford to come up to HICWA requirements. Now to me Minister that's unacceptable that the Sisters of Charity for reasons best known to themselves are going to close down a nursing home for the vulnerable, the blind and the elderly. For whatever reason that shouldn't be allowed to happen and the state should step in and take that nursing home over. I'll have to, I've been in the same areas myself I know it but I'll revert to the deputy I'll talk to the HSE about it and revert to you in writing. So thank you not.
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