A series of “productivity savings” are being targeted to offset a shortfall in funding for the country’s healthcare system next year.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly said ongoing efforts by the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive to increase productivity would form part of the strategy to tackle an anticipated dearth in funding for healthcare in 2024.
Speaking in Galway on Friday, Mr Donnelly said increased community-based treatment, further use of generic and biosimilar drugs, and a reduction in agency and overtime hours were all being focused on as part of the process.
“We have a team of people looking at productivity opportunities,” he said, adding that funding had been provided for 2,000 additional staff which included for the transfer of agency workers.
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“We will be looking at procurement opportunities – are we spending more money than we need to on some of the medical and surgical supplies? We’ll be looking at things like stock management of medicines within hospitals,” continued Mr Donnelly.
Further investment in advanced nursing and advanced health and social care practitioners who can treat patients without the need for a hospital consultant was another efficiency being targeted, he said.
Mr Donnelly said this would be happening “in parallel” with a “detailed piece of work looking at the future costs of healthcare”.
The provision of healthcare was becoming progressively more expensive, Mr Donnelly said, and this in-depth report would set out the likely costs over the coming years.
HSE chief Bernard Gloster said last week that next year’s health budget was “not adequate for all current costs”. Mr Donnelly had sought about €2 billion in extra funding for health services in 2024, but was allocated just €800 million in last week’s budget.
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Meanwhile, Mr Donnelly pleaded with healthcare workers and eligible members of the public to take up offers of flu and Covid vaccines.
The Minister said in advance of an anticipated surge in respiratory illness over the winter months that it was imperative that those entitled to both vaccines availed of them.
“One of the areas we need a focus on the vaccines is our healthcare workers. We didn’t see as big an uptake last winter, for example, of the flu vaccines in hospitals – we really need to push on that,” he said.