HSE HCA scale isn’t great, starts at about €26K and you’d want to be there a decade to more to be hitting the €33k plus mark. She was off the whole time (paid sick leave I imagine) when having ivf and then cocooned off when pregnant (paid) and now on paid mat leave. She will have 2 years worth of hols (8 weeks Hols and 18 bank hols) to take when her mat leave ends. So she will have been off work for near to 2.5/3 years by the end of it, hard to see her going back full time anyway! But then again different to someone who has to get the kids up and out and off to childcare etc, maybe because of the perks (paid sick etc) that come with HSE job that she will go back.
^ I do know HSE is a hell hole I, not saying go work for them I just mean it’s better perks that a private care job etc