HSE to cut 1000 front line jobs?

Ok, now here is yet another reason to vote for change. Newstalk today reported that 1000 front line jobs will go in the Health Service. Not admin staff, not managers but front line, patient facing staff. Sure they are reviewing the admin positions, but they have already identified the cuts in front line staff.

The main losses will be in St James' Hospital in Dublin where 34 posts will go, Tallaght Hospital is to lose 33 posts and Beaumont Hospital will lose 27 posts. Among some of the other losses...Cork University Hospital is to lose 25 posts, University College Hospital Galway will lose 23, ambulances services will be hit and four posts will be lost at Our Lady's Hospice in Harolds Cross.

Over the last two years they have increased the number of admin staff by 7% to around 11,000. That increase would have gone a long way towards covering the 1000 layoffs now required in front line positions. I suppose they need the admin staff to manage the layoffs in a controlled manner, maybe hire a PR consultant or two as well just to spin it a little in the media and arrange a few bonus schemes to reward the managers for achieving their budget targets.

If this government can in one week offer contracts worth €250,000 per year to 68 hospital consultants while at the same time planning to lay off 11 staff members in St Michael's House and 13 in Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children then we'd better all go check that our health insurance premiums are paid up...