Galway’s public hospitals spent €23 million on agency staff
More than €23 million was spent by the HSE on private agency staffing in Galway’s public hospitals in 2024 — an increase of 85 per cent since 2021.
That led Galway East Deputy Louis O’Hara to describe the HSE’s ‘wasteful over-reliance on outsourced staff’ as ‘unacceptable and completely unsustainable’.
His comments come as figures released to his party’s health spokesperson, David Cullinane, show a staggering €23,209,000 was spent on private agency staffing between UHG and Portiuncula Hospital in 2024.
Overall, a total of €725 million was spent across the state last year — a 33 per cent increase since 2021.
“It is completely unacceptable that HSE spending on outsourced staffing continues to spiral upwards,” said the Sinn Féin Deputy.
“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,” he added.
Deputy O’Hara claimed that the spike was 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,” he said.
"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.
“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,” he added.
Pictured: A staggering €23,209,000 was spent on private agency staffing between UHG and Portiuncula Hospital in 2024.