The HSE has developed and implemented a globally competitive relocation package to attract international recruits to the Irish health service and the exact cost depends on where the candidate is relocating from, and the specialty of the post,” according to the Department of Health secretary-general Robert Watt.
It happens as the health system struggles to find solutions to the problem of finding key personnel to help shorten waiting lists and offer a full range of services.
The subsidy for applicants traveling from outside the EU includes a flight allowance of up to €800. Candidates are also eligible for top-up payments to help with additional costs like levies, registration fees for regulatory bodies like the Medical Council, visa fees, and aptitude testing fees.
For health professionals in the EU, the relocation package being provided EU includes a flight payment of up to €250 and an accommodation allowance for the first month in Ireland of up to €3,910.
Healthcare professionals
The HSE expects the increase in whole-time equivalent (WTE, or full-time jobs) to be around 4,600 this year. The HSE indicated that by the end of August, year-to-date staffing levels had increased by 2,600 WTE with all staff categories grown year to date, with nursing and midwifery seeing the greatest increase in WTE at more than 1,104.
Asides from nursing and midwifery graduates from the class of 2022 being offered permanent positions within Ireland’s publicly funded health services; the HSE has launched a major campaign to recruit nurses and midwives from the international market to supplement the national pool.
Robert Watt further states that, as with other healthcare professions, the number of Irish and EU medical graduates produced is currently insufficient.
“In the future, we must meet the needs of the health service.” While we are making strides in recruitment and reform, we must speed up to meet emerging and increasing demand,” he added.
He stated that the Public Appointments Service’s recruitment capacity had been significantly increased to assist in the recruitment of medical consultants and that the HSE was developing targeted marketing initiatives to expand the candidate pool. The initiative focuses specifically on ‘hard-to-fill positions.
International campaigns for dieticians, physiotherapists, and speech and language therapists have therefore been launched to supplement the national pool.
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About the HSE
The Health Service Executive (HSE) is a large organization with over 100,000 employees tasked with running all of Ireland’s public health services. The HSE manages services using a structure that places patients and clients at the heart of the organization.
The HSE Code of Governance provides an overview of the principles, policies, procedures, and guidelines by which the HSE directs and controls its functions and manages its business. It is intended to guide the Directorate, leadership Team, and all those working within the HSE and the agencies funded by the HSE in carrying out their duties with the utmost accountability, integrity, and propriety.