A further 168 jobs will have to be cut at health boards in the west and midlands, writes Eithne Donnellan, Health Correspondent.
The jobs will have to be axed to bring the Western and Midland Health Boards within the employment ceilings imposed on them by the Department of Health.
The Midland Health Board, which confirmed yesterday it had 68 staff above the 5,130 approved by the Department of Health, said it would not force staff out but would reach the agreed ceiling by the end of the year through "natural attrition".
The Western Health Board, meanwhile, confirmed it had 100 more staff on its payroll than approved by the department. The approved level of staffing stands at 10,176.
A spokeswoman for the board stressed it was not planning any layoffs. At certain times of the year the board was above its approved employment ceiling as a result of filling locum positions to cover staff on different types of leave. "We expect at the end of the year to be at the agreed ceiling."
The Eastern Regional Health Authority (ERHA) confirmed on Tuesday it had 248 more staff than were approved. It made the revelation when the Mater Hospital confirmed it would have to cut 163 full-time jobs to comply with a "staff ceiling" imposed by the ERHA. The job losses at the Mater will be brought about by not filling vacant posts and not renewing staff contracts.
Meanwhile, all the other health boards contacted by The Irish Times yesterday confirmed they were either at or below the levels of staffing which were agreed. The Southern, North Western, South Eastern and Mid Western Health Boards confirmed they had less staff than their employment ceilings. The North Eastern Health Board said it had approval for 6,920 staff, and had that number at present.