THE HEALTH Service Executive (HSE) has employed an additional 43 staff at its Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Limerick in the first three months of the year in spite of a staff ceiling being in place.
According to figures from the HSE, its acute hospital network of six hospitals in the midwest is breaching the executive’s staff ceiling of 3,201 by 68. This has contributed to the HSE coming in over budget by 7.7 per cent for the first three months.
New figures show that the HSE has increased its staff numbers at the regional hospital by 43 from the end of December of 2,347 to 2,390 to the end of March.
The staff ceiling of 2,313 for the Midwestern Regional Hospital shows the HSE to be breaching the ceiling by 77 at the region’s busiest hospital at the end of the first quarter.
Figures relating to Ennis General Hospital show that the hospital was breaching its staffing levels by seven at the end of March where 291 were employed with a staff ceiling of 284.
It is only at St John’s Hospital in Limerick and Nenagh General Hospital where the hospitals are abiding by the staff ceiling with Nenagh General employing six less than allowed at 272 and St John’s employing 10 less than allowed at 3,216.
The overstaffing at the hospitals is contributing to the hospitals coming in over budget by €4.8 million for the first three months to the end of March. The figures show that the the overspend at Limerick’s Regional Hospital is €2.2 million to €40.5 million.
The overspend at Ennis is €6.2 million.
