Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 11: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the position regarding the deficit in Health Service Executive west; the action being taken to address this deficit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41960/10]

Michael Noonan (Limerick East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 16: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the position regarding the scale of the budget deficit in health in the four Health Service Executive areas; the action being taken to address the deficit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41965/10]

Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 28: To ask the Minister for Health and Children the estimated deficit in the Health Service Executive west; if progress has been made in collecting outstanding debts from health insurers to HSE west; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41878/10]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I propose to take Question Nos. 11, 16 and 28 together. The Revised Estimates for 2010 allocated €14.6 billion for the HSE. Government expenditure for 2010 was determined in the context of very challenging economic circumstances. At the end of September the HSE is reporting a deficit of €102m in the hospital sector along with a €27m deficit in community services. This is an improvement on the end August figures. The results for the individual regions at the end of September are being provided in tabular form to the House. These are interim figures which are still subject to validation. The HSE is also forecasting lower than expected expenditure in areas such as demand led schemes, H1N1 vaccination costs and some national programmes.

The actions being taken by the HSE in all regions are focused on

protecting front-line services and in particular emergency services;

maintaining the quality and safety of services; and

delivering to service plan targets.

The principal measures being employed involve:

reducing pay and non-pay costs;

controlling absenteeism;

redeployment of corporate/support staff to frontline roles;

implementing measures to ensure that hospital care is delivered as efficiently as possible;

improved bed utilisation and discharge planning; and

procurement initiatives.

The HSE is driving efficiency in the acute hospital system by increasing the proportion of surgery undertaken on a day basis, increasing the admission of inpatients on their day of surgery and reducing length of hospital stay consistent with patients' clinical needs. Overall, activity in the acute hospitals is ahead of the Service Plan targets and measures have to be taken to bring elective activity back to target levels where this is necessary to address the projected deficit.

Measures are underway to expedite the collection of private patient income and targets have been set for hospitals in this regard. The receipt of this income will contribute to tackling the projected deficit. The HSE has put the following specific measures in place to increase the cash collection to the end of 2010.

Set specific targets for each acute hospital for increased submission of private insurance claims for the final 3 months of 2010. Weekly monitoring of progress to year end in this regard is being undertaken.

Following up private insurance claims which have been submitted but not yet settled. Any outstanding queries in relation to such claims are being addressed as a matter of urgency.

Prioritise backlogs of outstanding claims that are awaiting submission.

Specifically in the HSE Western Region, the latest indications are that it has reduced its projected end year deficit from €130 million at the end of March to €40m at the end of September. In order to address the remaining excess, the HSE West needs to achieve further reductions of €10 - €12 million a month for the rest of the year.

Notwithstanding the difficult financial environment, the Government is determined to do everything possible to protect patient services, to respond to priority demographic and other needs and to support ongoing reform of the public health services within the resources available for health. To achieve this, staff at all levels will have to work together to deliver services in a more flexible way. Without that co-operation and flexibility, services to patients cannot be protected. It is not just for HSE management to protect services: there is a responsibility on everyone involved to deliver services within budget in new ways that will better serve patient needs in accordance with international practice.