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. 2021 Apr 23;4:39. [Version 1] doi: 10.12688/hrbopenres.13256.1

Table 12a. Estimated unit costs for a publicly employed, community based, Dietitian, 2016–2019.

BASELINE (OVERHEADS 40%) 2016 2017 2018 2019
Cost component
A Wages/salary 54,578 55,328 56,274 57,025
B Salary oncosts 16,441 16,028 15,748 16,585
C Qualifications - - - -
D Overheads 21,831 22,131 22,509 22,810
E Capital overheads 9,413 9,458 7,565 7,732
F Travel - - - -
G Total costs (∑A–F) 102,263 102,945 102,096 104,153
Working time
H Number of hours worked
per annum
1,601 1,595 1,599 1,598
I Ratio of direct to indirect
time
- - - -
Unit costs
J Unit cost per hour (G/H) 64 65 64 65
Cost component Description Sources
A Wages/salary Annual mean whole-time
equivalent basic salary for
Dietitian (DT), Senior. Senior
DTs accounted for 69–72% of
publicly employed DTs working
in community-based services for
the period 2016—2019.
HSE (2020) Health
Service Personnel
Census
HSE, 2020a
B Salary oncosts Pay Related Social Insurance
(PRSI) Contribution, calculated at
10.75–10.95% of annual mean
WTE basic salary for DT, Senior
for the period 2016—2019.
Superannuation: weighted
average of the public sector
pension contribution rates for
pre-2013 and post-2013 pension
cohorts estimated by DPER (with
adjustment for the Pension
Related Deduction/Annual
Superannuation Charge). Average
pension contribution of 16–20%
over the period 2016—2019 for
publicly employed DTs.
DEASP, 2019, DEASP, 2020,
DPER, 2017a
DPER, 2017b
Personal
communication
with IGEES, DOH,
04/01/2021
Personal
communication
with IGEES, DOH,
22/01/2021
C Qualifications Not included in this analysis
D Overheads Estimated overhead costs
for utilities (e.g., light,
heat, telephone, internet),
accommodation costs, office
facilities, and general supplies
as well as administrative and
management staff costs using
available guidelines. Baseline
estimate of 40% of basic salary.
DOT, 2009
HIQA, 2018b
HIQA, 2020
DPER, 2019
Curtis & Burns, 2019
E Capital
overheads
Estimated capital overhead costs
based on average capital costs
estimated by the Personal Social
Services Research
Unit.
Estimate of 11–13% of total salary
(basic plus oncosts) for the period
2016—2019.
Curtis & Burns, 2018; Curtis & Burns, 2019
F Travel Not included in this analysis
H Number of
hours worked
per annum
Total number of days worked
per annum (number of working
days in a given year minus annual
leave entitlement and estimated
sickness absence days) multiplied
by number of hours worked per
day.
Leave
entitlement:
HSE, 2009a; Personal
communication
with HSE,
04/02/2021
Absenteeism:
HSE, 2017, HSE, 2018, HSE, 2019a
HSE, 2019b
Number of hours
per week/day:
Labour Relations Committee, 2013
I Ratio of direct
to indirect
time
Not included in this analysis