The Department of Health expects that the HSE will have less than half of its recruitment goal for new healthcare workers this year will be met.
Documents provided to the Oireachtas Health Committee, seen by BusinessPlus.ie, show that just 2,922 new full-time staff were hired by the end of September, and it is "forecast" that the figure will reach 4,600 by the end of this month.
In February, the HSE National Service Plan detailed plans to hire a "maximum target of at least +10,000" new staff. The plan also set a "lower target" of hiring 5,500 new workers in 2022.
However, the Department of Health's latest briefing note to TDs shows that even the lesser goal will be missed by approximately 16%.
It comes despite HSE assurances that its National Service Plan was working to "the maximum target as the HSE is fully committed to deliver to the greatest extent the maximum of the range, acknowledging the significant and unpredictable challenges to workforce supply in 2022."
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Due to the shortfall, the Department of Health expects that €500m of its recruitment budget for the year will not be spent.
However, documents sent to TDs warn that the savings made on recruitment have been "largely consumed" by other issues.
"It is projected that there will be pay cost savings of c.€500m in 2022, arising from both underspends where the full level of expansion in workforce cannot be delivered this year, as well as where posts are funded on a full-year basis but are only filled later in the year," the briefing says.
"These savings are once-off in nature in 2022, with a further expansion of 6,000 WTE (whole time equivalent) projected in 2023 as the HSE continues to progress towards its ambitious recruitment targets. Against these recruitment savings, there have been significant expenditure support pressures in 2022. "These service pressures include the impact of non-pay inflation, income shortfalls, and specific service pressures, as well as specific service pressures in Disabilities, and cost pressures arising from Ukraine responses across the health system."
In recent weeks, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) raised concerns that the housing crisis is leading to difficulties in hiring and retaining staff as the organisation called for housing to be put in place for healthcare workers.
"The lack of suitable accommodation and increasing rents is having a hugely negative impact on our ability to retain nurses and midwives, not just in Dublin but in other cities and towns where there is significant pressure on the rental market," INMO general secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said.
Health Minister Stephen Donnelly will face the Health Committee again today after members refused to sign off on a €1.4bn bailout for his department last week.
Mr Donnelly and health officials faced repeated criticism at the heated meeting over the details provided to the TDs in a 24-page briefing document that was circulated less than two hours before the committee convened.
Speaking at last week's meeting, Social Democrats co-leader Róisín Shortall told Mr Donnelly that "this isn't any way to do business".
She said: "It's extremely disrespectful to people here. We can't engage in the supplementary estimates for €1.3bn - a huge amount of additional money, yet we've no detail on it."
