Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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33. To ask the Minister for Health the extent to which he remains satisfied regarding the ability of the Health Service Executive to deliver the full range of health services as set out in the national service plan for 2014; if particular contingency plans exist in the event of inadequacies emerging later in the year; the extent to which such situations are likely to be provided for in view of the demand-driven nature of health services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6872/14]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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There has been considerable focus, understandably, on the demanding and challenging financial and resource constraints within which the HSE has been required to prepare and adopt its 2014 Service Plan. Similar constraints have also applied in each of the last number of years due to the emergency financial situation the Irish State has had to address. During this period the HSE and its workforce have very successfully focused on how best to minimise the impact of these unavoidable constraints on front line services often by utilising innovative and more efficient and effective ways of using scarce resources.

The delivery of the health and social care services provided for in this year's Service Plan will again 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.