Union condemns health spending plan as a 'con'

THE Health Service Executive's (HSE) €11 billion spending plan, which includes cutting 600 jobs, has been criticised as a "con" by a healthcare workers' union.

HSE officials said the reduction of posts under its service plan for this year represents less than 1% of staff numbers and could be achieved without impacting on front line services.

The plan, which was published yesterday and approved by the Tánaiste and Minister for Health, Mary Harney, sets out that health spending will remain at the same level as last year apart from a €200 million investment in A&E services, disability services and GP care.

An additional €70m will be spent on disability and mental health services, a further €70m on A&E services and 200 acute hospital beds will be provided along with 230,000 'doctor only' cards.

Additional funding is also provided for cancer and renal services and for social inclusion.

"The first HSE service plan is securely grounded in the policies and priorities of the Tánaiste and the Department of Health and they and we believe that, while the way forward must be firmly evidence-based, it must also take into account what people need as opposed to what we believe they need," said HSE interim chief executive Kevin Kelly.

The blueprint provides for the provision of services to the 17,611 people with intellectual disability and autism already accessing services. In addition €56.35m will go towards providing 270 additional residential places, 400 day places, 90 respite places, the opening of Intellectual Disability Units and the improvement of specialist support services for persons with major challenging behaviour.

An additional €15.2m will be spent on developing mental health services while €20m is to be spent on early discharge packages for the elderly. Further investment in GP co-ops and Medical Assessment Units (MAUs) is promised at Tallaght, St Vincent's and Beaumont Hospitals.

However, IMPACT, the union representing 25,000 healthcare workers, said the suggestion that disability and other services could be expanded with fewer staff was a con. "Even the limited improvements set out in the recent Disability Bill would require thousands of extra staff to assess needs and deliver services. I challenge the Government to say how it will do this while cutting staff. Which services are going to be sacrificed?" asked national secretary Kevin Callinan.

The Irish Nurses Organisation (INO) is to seek further information on the 600 job cuts when it meets with health service management today.

"In particular, the INO will be seeking clarity as to how 600 job cuts will be made, by natural wastage, without there being a significant negative impact upon the quality and quantity of direct patient care services," said INO general secretary, Liam Doran.