Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for the opportunity to address the House on budget 2018 and specifically on the health aspects of that budget. The funding provided in this budget will mean that we can deliver better access, more help for families and more supports for disability, mental health and older and vulnerable people. In addition, the welcome increase in the health capital budget over the period to 2021 will allow completion of key developments, such as the new national children's hospital, and ensure that capital investment supports our strategic initiatives and our ehealth improvement, which was a very important aspect of the recent cross-party committee report on health reform.

The Department of Health's Vote has increased significantly in the past three years, which is a recognition of the Government's commitment to investing wisely to improve services and help make life easier for families. Once again, the Government is asking the Oireachtas to allocate additional Exchequer funding for the health sector for 2018. The gross current budget for the health sector for next year will be €14.798 billion. This is equivalent to an increase of €646 million, 4.6%, compared with the 2017 allocation of €14.152 billion. I am also pleased to announce a capital budget of €493 million, which represents an increase of €39 million on last year. This brings the total gross health budget for 2018 to almost €15.3 billion. I take this opportunity to express my gratitude to my colleague, the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, for his support in dealing with the many challenges facing the health sector and for the way in which he framed this budget.

The level of health services to be provided within the available funding will be set out in the HSE's 2018 national service plan, which will shortly be prepared by its executive. However, I will outline some of the issues which will be more extensively covered in the service plan. I am particularly pleased to have received funding for a new access programme, starting now and running through 2018, which will include €75 million to reduce waiting lists, €37 million for extra home care packages and transitional care beds and €20 million for extra capacity and support for our hospitals in 2018. Budget 2018 will increase investment in the National Treatment Purchase Fund, NTPF, from €20 million this year to €55 million next year. This significant increase in funding reflects my commitment to reducing waiting times for the longest-waiting patients. This will mean that approximately 18,000 additional procedures will be offered through the NTPF to patients next year across a range of specialties and procedures.

I have stated consistently in recent months that I am committed to reducing waiting times for scoliosis surgery for children and young people. The HSE and our hospitals have made great progress this year in increasing the numbers of surgeries undertaken.

This funding will ensure that we continue to bring down the waiting times and improve access to scoliosis services and make sure we never end up back where we were in respect of scoliosis waiting lists.

As well as the funding contained in budget 2018, I am delighted to confirm the release of €40 million of additional access funding this year. This will enable us to prepare for and manage the expected peak in demand for health services this winter. The funding will support measures in 2017 to reduce overcrowding through the provision of extra capacity and additional supports. It will help support our older people to remain in their homes through additional home care packages, home help hours and transitional care beds, and will drive public health campaigns in that period, particularly in respect of the 'flu vaccine.

I am delighted that we have also been able to make additional funding available this year for key strategic initiatives, including the phased implementation of the national cancer strategy, the national maternity strategy, and the continued development of the National Ambulance Service, leading to sustainable improvement in these services.

As I have already said, the new children's hospital project continues to be a key priority. This programme will merge three separate hospitals into one while maintaining existing services, patient safety and quality during the change process. That is quite a job. It includes the development of integrated ICT systems, operational integration and preparation for transitioning to the new facilities. Funding is also being provided for this year to continue the implementation of the all-island congenital heart disease network.

Reducing the cost of medicines for families is a key commitment of this Government and building on the progress made in 2017 when I reduced the prescription charge for over 70s, I am delighted to be in a position from 1 January 2018 to reduce all prescription charges for all medical card holders under the age of 70 by 50 cent per item with a maximum cap of €20 per month, down from €25 per month. This will save 500,000 medical card holders under the age of 70 up to €60 a year starting in 2018. I am also pleased to reduce the monthly threshold for the drugs payment scheme by €10, which will save families up to €120 a year in terms of their trips to their pharmacy. In line with the recommendations of the Sláintecare report by the Oireachtas Committee on the Future of Healthcare, I intend to build further upon these initiatives in future years.

The nursing home support scheme will receive an increased allocation, bringing its budget to €949.7 million. This will ensure that funding under the scheme does not exceed four weeks throughout 2018, ensuring no one waits longer than four weeks.

The development of a shift to primary care is a key recommendation of the Sláintecare report. We are providing a dedicated fund of €25 million to begin to try to transfer services out from the acute hospital setting into the community setting. That includes wanting to do more with general practitioners, developing a new GP contract and fostering new developments with nurses in terms of community nursing and advanced nurse practitioners. This is not the totality of what I wish to do and, if we manage to negotiate successfully with GPs, I will update Government on the need for multi-annual funding as the Minister for Finance outlined yesterday.

We are also going to do more for mental health and such services will spend an additional €35 million in increased funding next year. I will work to reassure Mental Health Reform that we are absolutely committed to delivering the requirements of A Vision for Change in full between now and 2019. The Minister of State, Deputy Jim Daly, will speak more about that. The Minister of State, Deputy Finian McGrath, will deal with disability services and the Minister of State, Deputy Catherine Byrne, will deal with the national drugs strategy implementation and also funding for health initiatives for homeless people as well as the healthy Ireland fund. We continue to tackle important issues. We will also see 1,800 additional staff working in the health service during 2018.

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