Teams representing healthcare employees have criticised an “incredulous” delay in receiving their pandemic bonus after it was revealed that the Authorities is now issuing a young for the rollout.
he Division of Well being confirmed that the HSE is tendering for a 3rd get together to hold out what it referred to as a “complicated” course of to pay the bonus to non-HSE employees – eight months on from the announcement of the €1,000 bonus.
It mentioned that this was being performed in order that “duplicate funds” could be prevented, and since “many organisations” are concerned within the course of.
Points have additionally arisen with paying the bonus to Defence Pressure and Fireplace Brigade paramedics who have been redeployed to the Covid-19 frontline at durations when the healthcare system was beneath extreme pressure.
On January 19, a tax-free fee of €1,000 was introduced for eligible frontline healthcare employees and workers in personal nursing houses and hospices, in recognition of their efforts in the course of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Work started on issuing the fee from April, however Nursing Houses Eire (NHI) and the Alliance of Well being Care Assistants in Eire (AHCAI) have mentioned that employees they signify have but to obtain their pandemic bonus.
CEO of the NHI, Tadhg Daly, mentioned: “It’s incredulous that the State, which holds information concerning each particular person’s employment and documented the rollout of the vaccination to 40,000 staff inside our sector in a brief interval, can not set up a mechanism to rollout the fee with minimal fuss.”
AHCAI chair Clare Doyle mentioned the organisation was “very a lot conscious there are complexities and processes entailed within the rollout of the fee and we now have been very affected person and understanding”.
“Nonetheless, after eight months of the Division of Well being and the HSE engaged on this mission, it’s unbelievable that they’re nonetheless unable to implement a sensible plan of motion to finalise funds.
She continued: “The actions of the State are stunning and unacceptable.
“Extremely, it now seems additional funds shall be utilised for a third-party contractor to help with this fee course of. The unacceptable delay in processing this fee is disheartening to the numerous who did such worthwhile work.”
In an announcement, the Division of Well being mentioned “the overwhelming majority” of HSE and Part 38 employees had obtained the bonus fee.
About 122,667 of those workers members had obtained the fee as of September 9, it mentioned.
However the Division that the HSE “is tendering for an exterior supplier” to roll out the fee to personal, voluntary and Part 39 employees in nursing houses and hospices; to eligible workers working at long-term residential care services for individuals with disabilities; to company employees throughout the HSE; and to dwelling care employees contracted to the HSE.
The exterior supplier will “help in organising and implementing the method of gathering required data from the related employers to facilitate fee to their eligible workers”.
“This can be a complicated course of as these workers usually are not HSE staff, duplicate funds must be prevented, and there are lots of organisations concerned.
“As soon as a supplier is contracted and particulars on this fee course of are revealed, the Division is eager that funds to eligible employees shall be made as quickly as attainable thereafter,” the Division of Well being mentioned.
Points have additionally arose in paying the bonus to Defence Forces members redeployed to work in Covid-exposed environments for the HSE in addition to paramedics employed by Dublin Fireplace Brigade to ship companies on behalf of the HSE.
The Division of Well being mentioned it’s “partaking with the Division of Defence, the Division of Housing, Native Authorities and Heritage, and the Division of Public Expenditure and Reform to progress funds to those cohorts as quickly as attainable”.
“There are complexities related to redeployed workers, as it is very important make sure that the eligibility standards are utilized pretty, in mild of how the standards have been utilized for HSE workers.”
Mr Daly added: “Employees in nursing houses really feel insulted by the prolonged and unacceptable delay that has manifested. A lot of the goodwill and gratitude that this fee was meant to suggest has been eroded amongst these employees that have been so valiant in the course of the pandemic.
“It’s devaluing on a day-by-day foundation too, given inflation since January. It’s so disappointing and damning of the State that it has not seen match to have this fee rolled out for practically a yr after it was introduced.”