> 1000 HSE West Staff sick every day.

Lando Griffin · 29-09-2011 01:30PM #1

More than 1,000 HSE staff call in sick every day in the HSE West region, costing taxpayers €5m a month, or €60m a year.
The figures were confirmed by the HSE's assistant national director for finance, Liam Minihan, who said that 1,100 staff -- or one in every 20 employees -- call in sick each day in a swathe of the country that stretches from Donegal to Limerick.
The revelation prompted HSE West chairman Padraig Conneely (FG) to remark: "I thought the sick people were in the hospitals, in the beds, but obviously, they are not. It is the people outside the hospitals, the workers, who are very sick."
"I think these people would get the door very quickly in the private sector."
HSE West regional director John_Hennessy admitted that the absenteeism rate "is too high" and said that a "comprehensive programme of absenteeism management" was under way.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/one-in-20-hse-west-staff-call-in-sick-every-day-2891310.html

I am lost for words and dont want to tar everyone with the same brush, but this is a disgrace and a shame to everyone in the Public Sector who just continue to milk the system and then complain when there over-generous extras are cut back a bit. Im telling you something, I nearly had swine flue last year and I still struggled into work, and just as well cos shortly afterwards everyone got it and the place nearly had to shut.
A disgrace.

mikom · 29-09-2011 01:34PM

Lando Griffin wrote: »

Im telling you something, I nearly had swine flue last year and I still struggled into work,

Nearly?

And how did he get stuck in your chimney?

herosa · 29-09-2011 01:34PM

Well. I know half the nurses are on stress sick leave because of work overload.I wonder who is making up the rest of the figures?

herosa · 29-09-2011 01:35PM

How do you nearly get swine flu? Is that not like being a little bit pregnant?

DrumSteve · 29-09-2011 01:36PM

Lando Griffin wrote: »

More than 1,000 HSE staff call in sick every day in the HSE West region, costing taxpayers €5m a month, or €60m a year.
The figures were confirmed by the HSE's assistant national director for finance, Liam Minihan, who said that 1,100 staff -- or one in every 20 employees -- call in sick each day in a swathe of the country that stretches from Donegal to Limerick.
The revelation prompted HSE West chairman Padraig Conneely (FG) to remark: "I thought the sick people were in the hospitals, in the beds, but obviously, they are not. It is the people outside the hospitals, the workers, who are very sick."
"I think these people would get the door very quickly in the private sector."
HSE West regional director John_Hennessy admitted that the absenteeism rate "is too high" and said that a "comprehensive programme of absenteeism management" was under way.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/one-in-20-hse-west-staff-call-in-sick-every-day-2891310.html

I am lost for words and dont want to tar everyone with the same brush, but this is a disgrace and a shame to everyone in the Public Sector who just continue to milk the system and then complain when there over-generous extras are cut back a bit. Im telling you something, I nearly had swine flue last year and I still struggled into work, and just as well cos shortly afterwards everyone got it and the place nearly had to shut.
It's A disgrace Joe.

FYP

General General · 29-09-2011 01:38PM

My head nearly fell off this morning, so I rang in sick.

Wile E. Coyote · 29-09-2011 01:40PM

Lando Griffin wrote: »

Im telling you something, I nearly had swine flue last year and I still struggled into work, and just as well cos shortly afterwards everyone got it and the place nearly had to shut.
A disgrace.

Op you had the potential for a good rant until that little gem just there.

cosmicfart · 29-09-2011 01:41PM

I nearly got run over by a car the other day but still made it into work. Nearly never won the race, or even ever happened. I sympathize with the nurses working in the HSE, very demanding job working around SICK people, is it any wonder they get sick themselves?

Totally blown out of proportion

mikemac · 29-09-2011 01:46PM

Lando Griffin wrote: »

The revelation prompted HSE West chairman Padraig Conneely (FG)

The issue with the health boards was politicians had influence and the connected people and their cronies got sweet jobs

The HSE was to be run by full time professionals and not amateurs and to eliminate all this, so the theory goes.

So why is the chairman a Fine Gael councillor from Galway City?

Gal pal · 29-09-2011 01:52PM

It's enough to make ya sick

Rented Mule · 29-09-2011 01:54PM

5% of their staff call in sick ?

That seems like a number that I could live with.

29-09-2011 01:54PM

I suppose working around sick people all the time would tend to make you sick...

BrianJD · 29-09-2011 01:58PM

herosa wrote: »

Well. I know half the nurses are on stress sick leave because of work overload.I wonder who is making up the rest of the figures?

Maybe there wouldn't be a work overload if half were not out sick.

I don't agree with my statement there, just playing devils advocate.

Frank Black · 29-09-2011 02:00PM

Rented Mule wrote: »

5% of their staff call in sick ?

That seems like a number that I could live with.

So on average, a memeber of staff is out sick once every 20 days. Assuming about 230 working days a year - that would mean the average worker missing 11.75days off sick per year - and you think that's acceptable?

Maybe in the puiblic service, but in the real world if someone was taking that many sick days per year they wouldn't last very long.

hooradiation · 29-09-2011 02:01PM

Rented Mule wrote: »

5% of their staff call in sick ?

That seems like a number that I could live with.

Hence why they went with the more inflammatory "more than a thousand"

FetchTheGin · 29-09-2011 02:05PM

I was listening to Newstalk this morning and apparently most of the sick leave was from managers.

_feedback_ · 29-09-2011 02:08PM

I'll tell ya what is shocking, and the figures don't even show it...

The amount of people who nearly called in sick :eek:

Rented Mule · 29-09-2011 02:08PM

black francis wrote: »

So on average, a memeber of staff is out sick once every 20 days. Assuming about 230 working days a year - that would mean the average worker missing 11.75days off sick per year - and you think that's acceptable?

Maybe in the puiblic service, but in the real world if someone was taking that many sick days per year they wouldn't last very long.

The average Irish worker gets 20 PTO per year (along with the bank holidays). I would completely expect them to use these days to cover their time missed.

With the above being said, I would also like to see a breakdown of these numbers. It is very easy to spread them across the entire system in the west and make it out that everyone is abusing the system, and I would find that hard to believe. How may people are on extended leave due to illness/injury ? You would probably find that this is going to take up a good percentage of those numbers.

hardCopy · 29-09-2011 02:10PM

Rented Mule wrote: »

5% of their staff call in sick ?

That seems like a number that I could live with.

Really? So in a company of 20 people you could cope with being a man down every day?

And you'd have scheduled holidays to manage on top of that, no wonder the organisation is crippled.

The_Minister · 29-09-2011 02:10PM

Rented Mule wrote: »

5% of their staff call in sick ?

That seems like a number that I could live with.

5% DAILY.

That is higher than it should be - think about it, do you get sick every 20 days? most people are sick maybe once a year (sick enough to be unable to work).

herosa · 29-09-2011 02:20PM

Some of their work is very physical ie bending,lifting pushing trolleys etc which would explain some injuries.It wouldnt explain the managers sick leave though. There is the winter vomiting bug which is so infectious it has them dropping like flies( and which isnt restricted to winter) They are not allowed to come back to work until they are so many days clear from that in case they infect patients. You would have to look at the causes. I would say its unlikely that they are ALL off sunning themselves in Tenerife.

Rented Mule · 29-09-2011 02:24PM

hardCopy wrote: »

Really? So in a company of 20 people you could cope with being a man down every day?

I had to when I was working in Dublin. One day per person, per month in Ireland seemed to be the average when I was running Servicedesks (in the private sector).

The_Minister wrote: »

5% DAILY.

That is higher than it should be - think about it, do you get sick every 20 days? most people are sick maybe once a year (sick enough to be unable to work).

Again, I would like to see the breakdown of the average age of these employees, and see if the number of people on long term leave due to sickness/injury.

Whenever I see numbers like this they are generally politically motivated and askew. You can make statistics say whatever you want them to. I would really like to see these numbers broken down a little better than a '1 in 20'.

--Kaiser-- · 29-09-2011 02:53PM

I rang in to my work this morning, says to my boss I says "I can't come in, I'm sick"
"Hmmmm, right, how sick are you?" the scetical one asks
"Well, I'm in bed with my sister!" says I

herosa · 29-09-2011 02:57PM

LOL

mossyc123 · 29-09-2011 03:04PM

cosmicfart wrote: »

I nearly got run over by a car the other day but still made it into work. Nearly never won the race, or even ever happened. I sympathize with the nurses working in the HSE, very demanding job working around SICK people, is it any wonder they get sick themselves?

Totally blown out of proportion

If that is the case then why aren't Junior Doctors calling in sick all the time?

Answer:

Because they are rarely on more then a 12-Month contract and constantly have to prove themselves worthy of another contract.

Lumbo · 29-09-2011 03:04PM

They should be sent to the doctor.

Unless he's sick as well :pac:

hardCopy · 29-09-2011 03:08PM

Rented Mule wrote: »

I had to when I was working in Dublin. One day per person, per month in Ireland seemed to be the average when I was running Servicedesks (in the private sector).

The average is half that according to this survey of 635 companies employing a total of over 110,000 employees.

I do agree with you that averages can be misleading, I know people who work in the HSE and they certainly don't all take this many sick days, but clearly some are taking a lot.

herosa · 29-09-2011 03:13PM

mossyc123 wrote: »

If that is the case then why aren't Junior Doctors calling in sick all the time?

.

They are not at the bedside nearly as much as the care workers and probably dont handle bodily fluids as much eg empty bedpans,get vomited over etc.
That might explain some of it anyway.Also they dont have to physically lift patients,help unsteady ones to walk,push trolleys etc. You would have to look at every sick case on its own merits.

Jesus Wept · 29-09-2011 03:15PM

That's the average, there must be some who are running way above average, like 2x or more.

mikemac · 29-09-2011 03:16PM

All very well herosa but how many are office staff who have none of these excuses

I can understand the frontline staff getting hurt and injured.

But is it 11.75days off sick per year for the office staff too? Far too high.
And if HSE West is coping maybe the staff are not needed at all

herosa · 29-09-2011 03:17PM

I dont really have an explanation for the office staff. I dont know.

> 1000 HSE West Staff sick every day.

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