Minister for Health Mary Harney has strongly criticised aspects of the Health Service Executive's (HSE) blueprint for the operation of services next year, particularly in the areas of mental health and primary care.
Ms Harney said there were specific areas of the national service plan, which was published by the HSE on Friday, "which fall short of what could reasonably be expected".
In a letter to HSE chairman Liam Downey, she pointed in particular to the organisation's plans for the development of mental health services and the roll-out of primary care teams.
Ms Harney said the mental health service was an extremely significant area, but there were "serious gaps" in the national service plan in relation to service delivery in this area.
The Minister told The Irish Times last week that her concerns related to the application of resources for the Government's development plan for mental health services, A Vision for Change.
Health service campaigners have alleged recently that health authorities diverted money originally ring-fenced for the mental health sector to pay for cost overruns in other areas.
Under its policy, A Vision for Change, the Government pledged to spend a minimum of an additional €25 million in day-to-day spending on developing mental health services.
However, campaigners in the Irish Mental Health Coalition say most of this money has not been spent and that much of it has been used to pay for budget deficits elsewhere. They also say there is no sign that an additional €25 million in funding has been set aside for mental health services next year.
In its plan, the HSE said it would give priority next year to recruiting staff for 87 new multi-disciplinary primary care teams to provide clinical services to patients in the community. It said it would also "progress" a further 100 such teams.
However, Ms Harney said she believed there was "scope to continue the development and roll-out of the extra primary care teams to which we are committed in [ the national agreement] Towards 2016".
She said her concerns related to the speed of recruitment of these teams.
She said the concerns which she had raised with the HSE chairman would be addressed in an addendum to the service plan to be produced in January.
Meanwhile, Ms Harney's letter also set out the Government's "deep concern" that the HSE had to seek supplementary funding of €244 million this year, "particularly in circumstances where it still has not delivered on many of the approved service developments for which it was funded in last year's estimates and budget".
"This cannot be allowed to recur", the Minister added.
She said that in 2008 there was an absolute necessity for the HSE to operate within the limits of its allocation and to deliver the level of activity set out in its service plan.
"This is an essential requirement which must be met if the HSE is to retain the confidence of the Dáil and the Government in its stewardship of public funds.
"There can be no question of diverting service development funds, capital funds or indeed long-stay repayment funds to meet expenditure pressures arising in relation to core services."
Ms Harney's letter to Mr Downey was discussed by HSE management with health sector unions at a meeting last Friday.
At that meeting, it was announced that a controversial recruitment freeze was to be shelved from the end of the month, but that a "rigorous" employment strategy would be followed by the HSE next year.
