No additional new staff positions will be advertised for Primary Care Centre in Offaly
HSE confirmed that existing staff will simply be transferred into the new centre from once it opens
INDEPENDENT TD Carol Nolan has said that the HSE’s confirmation to her that “there will be no additional new staff positions advertised for the new Birr Primary Care Centre” has caused significant frustration among health professionals in Offaly who had hoped to apply for roles at the new facility.
In its written reply to Deputy Nolan, the HSE confirmed that existing staff will simply be transferred into the new centre from once it opens.
These include Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Speech and Language Therapy, Social Work, Psychology, Public Health Nursing, Mental Health Services, Dental Services, Home Support Services and Migrant Care GP Clinic.
The HSE stated: “As services are transferring into the new building, there will be no additional new staff positions advertised for the new Birr Primary Care Centre.”
Deputy Nolan said she had made representations on the matter after she was contacted by qualified health professionals living in Offaly but working outside the county, who were actively waiting for recruitment to begin for Birr PCC.
She said these individuals had no indication that the positions were already filled, and that the HSE’s confirmation has left many feeling blindsided and disappointed.
The new facility is expected to have an April–May opening, with construction substantially complete.
“While the opening of the primary care centre will be welcomed, I have serious concerns that that the absence of any new staffing commitments raises unavoidable questions about capacity, waiting lists, and whether the centre will be able to meet the needs of Birr and its wider Offaly catchment area,” Deputy Nolan said.
“Clearly the issues around recruitment were not flagged internally in the HSE either, otherwise the health care professionals who came to me would have been aware that no public advertising was to take place.
“I want firm assurances that the primary care centre will not be operating with minimum or below minimum staffing levels.”
Deputy Nolan will be seeking further clarity from the HSE on how the centre intends to meet demand without additional recruitment, and why prospective applicants were not informed that staffing allocations had already been decided.