Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Tuesday, 24 October 2023

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health

Consideration and Implications of 2024 Health Services Funding: Discussion

Mr. Robert Watt:

The key challenge for us, ultimately, is to ensure the resources that have been allocated by this House and provided by the taxpayer are translated into services for citizens. We have to be absolutely confident that services are structured in a way that maximises output and value for money.

There is a disconnect between the resourcing at a high level and then some of the high-level matrixes being produced in the hospital system. I do caveat that by saying that other factors need to be taken into account here in terms of the outcomes, the nature of the treatment and the complexity of the treatment. It is a fair challenge, though, in terms of what should we be getting for the type of resourcing? The activity in the system is enormous. Services are expanding all of the time and they are improving all of the time, and the types of services, and new services being added. There are differences by hospital and the CEO alluded to that in terms of the data we have. Why is that? Is it a function of leadership culture? Yes. Is it a function of physical infrastructure or previous investment in pathways or previous investment in digital? Is it the individuals involved and the way they organise their work? We have data and Mr. Gloster mentioned the HPVF-----

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.