Sir, – It is disheartening that the HSE is continuing to appoint more senior managers while there is an ongoing shortage of doctors and nurses ("HSE appointed three managers every week in first half of 2017", August 22nd).
Whereas we can easily quantify the work that doctors and nurses do, it is almost impossible to quantify the work of managers, so we will always have doubts about their value. In addition, whereas a doctor going on holiday has to be replaced by a locum to cover his or her absence, managers are not usually replaced when they go on leave. This begs the question whether, if we can manage without them for three weeks in the summer or two weeks at Christmas, we could manage without them altogether.
Successive Ministers for Health have challenged the role and the performance of the managers in the HSE, but none has come up with a definitive plan on how to monitor their performance and to control their numbers. If our current Minister were to publish such a plan it would restore much of the confidence we have lost in the HSE. – Yours, etc,
MARY MORRISSEY,
Castletownbere,
Co Cork.