There are now around 7,000 more staff employed in the public health services than officially allowed under the Government's employment ceiling for the sector, according to official figures released by the Health Services Executive (HSE).
The new figures show that as of the end of June there were 104,577 staff (whole-time equivalents) working for the HSE.
HSE chief executive Prof Brendan Drumm has told the HSE board the number of staff employed increased by 882 whole-time equivalents in the month of June. He said that increases were seen across all HSE areas.
According to the Department of Health, the official employment ceiling for the health service stands at 97,550 whole-time equivalents. It said this figure reflected the additional 1,200 posts sanctioned by the Government to facilitate the opening of additional units last year as well as the reduction of 600 posts sought as part of the official drive to cut down on public service employment numbers overall.
Prof Drumm said the main factor leading to the increased numbers employed were "upward growth from the provision of new and funded service developments as part of the National Service Plan 2006, locum cover over the summer months and enhanced maternity leave cover".
He said that increases due to summer locum cover were temporary and should be out of the system by the third-quarter of the year.
According to the HSE figures, the number of staff categorised as management or administrative increased by 522 in the first six months of the year. At the end of June there were 17,221 staff classified as management or administrative working in the HSE.
The HSE maintains that a significant number of staff recorded as management or administrative are involved in direct services to the public such as consultants' secretaries or personnel working in outpatient departments, A&E departments, medical records, etc.
"In respect of the overall growth of 522 in the management/administrative category in the period to the end of June 2006, it should be noted as follows: 369 of these posts were in the acute general hospitals [ 195 of which were in statutory HSE hospitals and 174 were in voluntary hospitals]; 172 of the posts were in the primary, community and continuing care services, of which 150 were in direct HSE PCCC services and 22 in voluntary services. There has been a reduction in the numbers of management/administrative posts in corporate functions - generating a net increase of 522," the HSE report stated.
The Department of Health told the Department of Finance at the end of June that increases in the HSE employment levels recorded in the first quarter of the year were due to the filling of frontline posts as well as the employment of staff on foot of the 10-point accident and emergency plan and the plan for mental health/disability services.
It said the increases were also due to the filling of posts associated with the commissioning of new units and service developments in 2004 and 2005, as well as positions associated with the new structures within the HSE.
The Department of Health also said the higher employment figures were due to increased levels of recruitment of nurses to offset the non-graduation of nurses in 2005/2006.
The Department of Health said this week that it was in negotiations with the Department of Finance with regard to further increases in the employment ceiling for the health services in 2006.
