Written answers

Thursday, 13 February 2014

Department of Health

Health Services Funding

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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261. To ask the Minister for Health the extent to which he expects to be in a position to meet in full the total cost of providing the health services as outlined within budget 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7373/14]

Photo of James ReillyJames Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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This is a time of undoubted challenge for the Irish health system as a consequence of the emergency financial situation the State has had to address over recent years. Along with significant and sustained financial pressure on the health system and reductions in health and social care funding and workforce numbers, the health services have also had to respond to significant demographic pressures, with the population of the State increasing by 8% and the proportion of persons aged 65 and over growing by one fifth since 2008.

Undoubtedly, therefore, 2014 is a challenge, perhaps the most challenging year so far. The 2014 HSE Service Plan, in setting out the health and social care services to be provided during the course of this year, outlines a comprehensive response to these challenges. The preparation of a Service Plan that complies with the Budget ceiling set for Health spending this year has been made possible as a consequence of the Government’s Revised Estimates Volume adjustment, providing an additional €47 million in funding for health services this year, the ‘probity’ target reduction from €133 million to €23 million, and the further process that has been put in place regarding €108 million in pay savings. These factors considerably changed the landscape within which the HSE prepared and adopted its 2014 Service Plan and enabled the HSE to submit a Service Plan, later approved by me, that the Director General considers can deliver both significant health reform and benefits to the general public throughout this coming year.

The delivery of this years’ Service Plan will focus on the dual challenge of protecting patient outcomes while, at the same time, reducing costs. This requires, inter alia, increasing emphasis on models of care that treat patients at the lowest level of complexity and provide safe quality services at the least possible cost. I have every confidence that, despite the unavoidable resource reductions already referred to, the HSE will again, throughout 2014, manage, to a very significant extent, to maintain core services while also supporting growing demand for services arising from population growth, increased levels of chronic disease, increased demand for drugs, higher numbers of medical card holders (up by 590,000 since 2008) and new costly medical technologies and treatments.

The HSE has management systems in place to monitor service delivery throughout the course of the year. Should any unexpected contingencies arise the HSE is well positioned to identify such contingencies and to promptly take any necessary remedial actions without undue delay.

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