Pension payments to retired HSE staff in Mayo are delayed

A Mayo councillor has lambasted the Health Service Executive for its treatment of retiring staff from Mayo University Hospital who have been forced to live for months without receiving their pension.

Speaking at last week's meeting of the Regional Health Forum West and North West, Cllr Michael Kilcoyne demanded to know whether the task of calculating the pension entitlements of the staff had been transferred to the HSE in Galway.

Mary Warde, Integrated Health Area Manager for Mayo, said Mayo Mental Health Service has completed the pension calculations for the relevant staff members. 

"These have been submitted to the Merlin Park pensions department for processing and payment. We will continue to actively follow up with the pensions department to monitor progress. While we cannot guarantee the exact timeframe for payment, we will take all reasonable steps to facilitate and expedite the process. Additionally, we will continue to explore the possibility of arranging an emergency or interim payment while the full process is underway. 

"Our aim is to complete the entire process by mid-October 2026. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and will continue regular contact with the impacted people until this issue is resolved.” 

Cllr Kilcoyne told the executive that some of the staff had retired in June and it was now nearly October, adding: “The HSE has not paid their pension on time and so has broken the law. These are people who have been left without their pensions, without an income since they retired and I am sure nobody in management in the HSE would be left four or five months like this. It is wrong and I want to know what steps have been taken to remedy this situation.” 

Integrated Health Area Manager for Galway and Roscommon, Ann Cosgrove, acknowledged it was "unacceptable and really regrettable”, while Ms Warde reiterated her apology and said the delay was "down to a recruitment issue between HSE Pensions and local mental health services".

Cllr Kilcoyne accepted the apology, but said: “These people will still have to wait another month and that is another month you don’t have the money to buy a loaf of bread or pay your mortgage. I find it the worst of the worst. If you treat your own staff in that manner, I would hate to see what the rest of the public would be treated like. If this was a private employer they would be outside the door and the place would be closed.”

• Published as part of the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.