HSE to spend over €836,000 on production of internal magazine
THE HSE is set to spend €836,000 plus Vat on the production of its internal magazine for staff, Health Matters.
It has awarded the contract to Ashville Media Ltd which beat off competition from four other parties to secure the work.
The company will make 20,000 hard copies of the 80-page magazine which will be produced in March, June, September and December of each year.
The magazine will also be circulated to staff via an e-zine.
The contract is for a two-year period with options to extend for a further two years.
The HSE has been producing
Health Matters for a number of years and between 2018 and 2015, it spent almost €600,000 on the production of the magazine.
It cost the HSE €163,500 to produce four editions of
Health Matters in 2018.
A spokeswoman for the HSE said: “Providing reliable and trusted information and updates to and from our staff is an essential part of our role as an employer.”
She added: “Health Matters, the national staff magazine of the HSE, is an important channel for the healthcare system to keep information flowing both to and from our staff.
“In a very diverse workforce, where many thousands of our teams work without regular access to computers due to their caring roles, a printed magazine plays a central role in team engagement and communications.”
The HSE is Ireland’s largest employer, with a workforce of 119,000 dedicated healthcare workers and support teams. The spokeswoman said: “The magazine continues to provide staff with details of the workings of our healthcare system, comprehensive coverage of important health-related issues and special features on key topics of interest.”
In recent editions of the magazine, HSE staff have shared their experiences of working across many different services and areas during Covid-19.
Staff are not paid for the articles they contribute and the current model removes the requirement for corporate and commercial sponsorship and advertising.
20,000 hard copies of the publication will be produced