REVEALED: Almost €11 million spent on private agency staffing by HSE in Tipperary
North Tipperary Sinn Féin Cathaoirleach Dan Harty has shamed this spending
Cathaoirleach of North Tipperary Sinn Féin, Dan Harty, has described the HSE’s wasteful over-reliance on outsourced staff as unacceptable and completely unsustainable.
His comments come as figures released to Sinn Féin health spokesperson, David Cullinane TD, show a figure of just under €11m was spent on private agency staffing in Tipperary between South Tipperary General Hospital (€8.3m) and Nenagh Hospital (€2.7m) in 2024.
University Hospital Limerick, which serves the population of North Tipperary recorded the second highest figure in the state with over €21m. A total of €725 million was spent across the state last year, a 33% increase since 2021.
Mr Harty said: “It is completely unacceptable that HSE spending on outsourced staffing continues to spiral upwards. It is staggering that over €21m was spent on agency staff in UHL in 2024. This is a 57% increase since 2021. Combined, both Tipperary hospitals recorded a significant 169% increase over the same period.”
“Across the state, over €725 million was spent on agency staffing in 2024 and the spend has not slowed in 2025. Since 2021, the HSE has forked out €2.9 billion on private agency staffing, which comes at a premium cost. It is incredible that the HSE could consider this wasteful spending to be sustainable.
"Wasteful over-reliance on agency spending has long been an area identified as an area where real savings can be made. Yet, we are still seeing year-on-year increases, despite the government's health productivity and savings taskforce.
"This spike comes at the same time and, in my view, is directly related to the government’s arbitrary recruitment limits under the pay and numbers strategy. These staff are needed to provide essential services, but they cannot be recruited directly, so the HSE is paying a premium price for agency workers instead.
"The health service needs an ambitious and realistic workforce plan to directly train, recruit, and retain the workers needed to safely staff the health service, and strict targets to significantly reduce runaway agency spending.
"That is what Sinn Féin proposed in our health plan, and it is what we will propose again in our alternative budget because the problems in the health service will never be addressed without a serious multi-annual plan that is fully thought-through.
“Successive Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael governments have failed to produce any comprehensive plan to address this. Instead, they are limping year-to-year with pretend plans that lack any long-term vision.
“The productivity taskforce and the pay and number strategy are merely sticking-plaster solutions that have not worked. As a result of these shortsighted ineffective measures, our health service has been left with no choice but to rely heavily on agency workers.”