A North Tipperary Councillor has expressed serious concern at the announcement of further budget and staff cuts in the HSE West and Mid West as outlined in the HSE Service Plan for 2013.
The budget for the HSE West which includes the Mid West is reduced by €24.5 million for the year ahead while it's proposed to take a further 653 staff from the payroll in the region.
Councillor John Carroll says early retirements and natural attrition from the HSE over the past two years are already placing a significant strain on hospital staff.
He claims further cuts to staff and budgets will result in the early burnout of staff and will lead to unsafe outcomes with regard to the quality of patient care.
