‘Patient safety is the HSE’s foremost priority’

The HSE says it is committed to ensuring that mandatory recruitment checks for doctors are consistently applied, following an internal audit that identified gaps in vetting and credentialing of doctors recruited outside the EU.

The 2026 audit reviewed 40 consultants and Non-Consultant Hospital Doctors (NCHDs) recruited in 2024 across the HSE’s Dublin and Midlands and Dublin and North East regions, finding that only 27 had evidence of English-language competency.

The review also identified weaknesses in overseas police clearance. Of the 40 doctors examined, 29 had evidence of required clearance. Gaps were also found in occupational-health clearance, identity verification and reference checks.

In Dublin and Midlands, only four of the 20 doctors reviewed had evidence of occupational-health clearance.

Cavan General Hospital was among the sites included in the wider audit sample.

In a statement to the Celt, a spokesperson stated: “Patient safety is the HSE's foremost priority. The HSE has a comprehensive, standardised process for the recruitment of non-EEA doctors to ensure compliance with legal, regulatory and professional requirements and to verify that doctors are appropriately qualified and credentialed for their roles. The HSE is committed to ensuring that these requirements are consistently applied across all services and that the audit recommendations are fully implemented through established governance and oversight mechanisms.”