HSE resignations were 1,000 higher than expected last year due to burnout and dissatisfaction, hampering efforts to reach recruitment targets.

Resignations from Ireland’s Health Service Executive (HSE) were 1,000 higher than expected in 2021, making it difficult for the health service to achieve its recruitment targets. The high numbers of workers leaving have been attributed to post-pandemic burnout and dissatisfaction with working conditions. The HSE added 5,400 staff to its workforce in 2021, but a reported 10,500 people retired or left during the first nine months of the year, compared with a normal year’s average of 9,500. Despite this, recruitment in the sector remains strong, given the sustained demand, the challenges of recruitment and the need to bring forward healthcare reforms. Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said the HSE staffing had expanded “very rapidly” over the last four years, but this now needed to go further to address a legacy backlog.