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Pictured at a protest against cuts to the Respite Care Grant yesterday, Louise Poole with her son Tiarnan. Wanderley Massafelli/Photocall Ireland
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Department to cut over 3,200 jobs next year in health service
In a report the department said this is a key requirement of the new implementation of the Croke Park Agreement.
A NEW DEPARTMENT OF Health report has confirmed that over 3,200 jobs will be cut from the health service by the end of next year.
The cuts are part of the government’s new implementation of the Croke Park Agreement which the report said is essential in order to maximise efficiencies.
In addition to dealing with the ongoing reduction in staffing numbers, the report says “any areas of recruitment priority will be outlined in the HSE Service Plan and the employment control measures still require that vacancies only be filled on an exceptional basis”.
Key requirements of the new implementation will include a reduction of at least 3,200 employees by 31 December 2013. This figure excludes unfilled approved and funded new service developments, the report said, and if it is decided not to fill these positions, the number will rise to 3,800.
Since its inception in 2010, the report said the Croke Park Agreement “has helped the health sector to manage the reduction of staff numbers by over 7,000″.
In the six months to end February 2012, almost 5,000 staff members retired from the health service.
The report said the services must continue to manage sizeable reductions in staff numbers over the next two years setting an employment target of 95,500 for the end of 2014.
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