Recruitment campaigns underway at Portlaoise Hospital

There are currently a number of recruitment campaigns underway at the Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise including nursing, midwifery and health and social care positions. 

Although a recruitment freeze is in place some staff categories are not included in the freeze. 

Providing an update to Leinster Express/Laois Live a spokesperson for the hospital said:  "Some staff categories and services are not included in the recruitment pause, including key frontline positions which are exempt from this to ensure the impact on services and patients is at a minimum. 
 

"The Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise has 9 Nursing/Midwifery ( 4 of these are rolling campaigns) and two HSCP (Health and Social Care Professions) jobs advertised for recruitment. All recruitment campaigns are being managed in line with national HR policies and derogation processes that are in place. National guidance on the 2024 pay and numbers strategy is also expected in the coming weeks. 

"The HSE will also be offering more than 1,600 permanent contracts of employment to all Nursing and Midwifery graduates as well as to all Health/Social Care (HSCP) graduates. There are more than 1,000 HSCP final-year students who are in a position to qualify for these roles, on completion of their courses."

The health service’s CEO Bernard Gloster told an Oireachtas Committee last week: “Notwithstanding control measures and affordability actions, we will this year see recruitment of new development posts at a minimum of 2,268 in our Health portfolio and 683 in Disability services.”

“Supported by the board of the HSE, I am determined to ensure that our management of approved workforce levels brings us to a point where arbitrary measures at national level such as pause will not be necessary, and the best productivity possible in the public interest is achieved through our most valued asset, our workforce,” he added.

Mr Gloster told the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health that an additional 8,239 health service positions were created in 2023, increasing the overall public healthcare workforce to 145,985 across the HSE and section 38 agencies.