HSE lost out on €38.4m

CHRONIC under-funding in the Clare health service was highlighted this week following confirmation the Mid-West lost out on €38.4 million over a four-year period.
Further cuts in expenditure on services in Ennis hospital and facilities throughout the county seem inevitable, despite the fact the region has not received its fair share of funding from 2006 to 2010.
Deputies Joe Carey and Michael McNamara have pledged to lobby Health Minister, Dr James Reilly in a bid to address the glaring funding disparity, which has adversely affected health services in Clare in recent years.
Deputy Carey expressed concern that health services in Clare are of a lesser standard because they were not getting a fair slice of funding from HSE West.
Deputy McNamara admitted he didn’t know how health funding had declined so much in the Mid-West and promised to seek a redress of this imbalance.
According to official figures obtained by The Clare Champion, the per capita funding allocated to the Mid-West is the second lowest in the country, just marginally above the North-East, the region that got the lowest level of funding when compared against the population of the region.
The most alarming statistic is the dramatic slippage in health expenditure for the Mid-West when compared against the total allocation of funding provided to the west of the country.
Covering nine counties, including Clare from Donegal to North Tipperary, HSE West received a gross allocation of €1,990.3 billion this year, which reflected a net reduction of 5% totalling €104.1m.
The percentage allocation for the Mid-West as a total West allocation had declined from 31.56% in 2006 to 29.73% last year with each 1% decrease equalling a €21.03m reduction.
Commenting on the figures, HSE West Forum member, Councillor Brian Meaney claimed the Mid-West has been discriminated against concerning HSE funding from 2006 to 2010.
Councillor Meaney requested all the Oireachtas members in the Mid-West to unite to lobby Health Minister, Dr James Reilly for a proper share of funding.
He claimed the decision to cut 25 beds at the regional hospital in Limerick and the possibility of further cuts in Ennis hospital could be avoided if the HSE in the Mid-West got its proper slice of the cake.
In addition to requesting a briefing from the HSE, the Green Party councillor requested Minister Reilly to adjust the allocations.
“Clare has not been well served by Oireachtas members in recent years, who allowed this to happen. The disparity in funding for the Mid-West has to be tackled by all Oireachtas members in the region. Is Finance Minister Michael Noonan going to stand idly by and allow this ‘discrimination’ to continue?” he asked.
He expressed concern that cuts may be introduced in Ennis, which is running about €1m over budget.
Deputy Carey agreed the figures illustrate a lack of political clout for the region, which was shown by the previous government, where the Green Party played a leading role.
“Councillor Meaney is a senior member of the Green Party, which took its eye of the ball in terms of health funding for the Mid-West and this resulted in a dramatic decline in the per capita allocation. The Mid-West needs to be on a level playing field with other regions in the West,” he said.
The Mid-West HSE declined to comment on the figures obtained by The Clare Champion. A Department of Health spokesman confirmed there is no prospect of additional funding being made available to the HSE in the current economic climate.
However, the spokesman stressed Minister Reilly has been assured by the HSE West that every effort would be made to ensure it takes full advantage of the services it has.
“The HSE is an independent statutory body with the CEO as its accounting officer. The HSE receives its annual allocation from the exchequer and agrees its year’s activity through its service plan with the Department of Health. The minister notes the comments, however, the funding allocated to each area, programme or service is decided by the board and management of the HSE itself,” said the department spokesperson.
Meanwhile, HSE Mid-West has confirmed it will spend over €610m on a large range of services this year. At the end of June, the services in the Mid-West were €21m in excess of the available budget and there are no options outside the Mid-West to source this money. There is a clear expectation that the services will manage within the available budget.
As part of reducing expenditure in the Mid-West, the authority is reducing agency and overtime expenditure by 50% from August to the end of the year, having previously reduced it by smaller amounts.
In 2010, €26m was spent in the region on agency and overtime alone. The authority continues to focus on reducing absenteeism, maximising opportunities to change rosters and redeploying staff and all other means by which it can provide the highest possible level of service, according to HSE Mid-West.