Health service ‘in transformation, not in crisis’

THE health service is not in crisis, it is in transformation, chief executive of the Health Service Executive (HSE), Professor Brendan Drumm insisted yesterday.

“We cannot continue with a system that fails to respond to what people require from a modern health system,” he stressed. But he agreed the HSE could make more of an effort at highlighting the positive changes that had occurred.

“We need to do a better job at getting the message out,” he said at the launch of the HSE’s annual report. He also admitted that, while significant strides were being made towards transforming the health service, some of the criticism directed at the HSE was warranted. He said when an error affected an individual patient it was absolutely right that the HSE should be heavily criticised.

However, he said such errors were not unique to Ireland and that they happened across the world. While it was the HSE’s job to minimise the mistakes that were made they would never be completely removed from the system, he said.

Prof Drumm said the HSE planned to introduce a process over the next six months so patients would know their discharge date within 24 hours of being admitted to hospital. The process would free up capacity and allow patients to be moved more quickly from accident and emergency departments.

There had also been a shift from inpatient care with 50% of work now done by hospitals on a day care basis.

He pointed out the HSE’s strategy to expand community based service was delivering more benefits to local communities.

Prof Drumm also emphasised the HSE remained fully committed to having half of the targeted 530 primary care teams in place by the end of 2009. The HSE had received 450 proposals from the private sector to provide facilities for primary care teams in 131 locations and negotiations were well underway. The applications were in addition to the 70 primary care centres already developed and being developed by the HSE.

Prof Drumm also believed some health facilities could make better use of their staff to provide better care. “At a time when the demand for existing and new services is so great, we have to prioritise our investment in facilities that give patients and clients the best value,” he said. He stressed, however, the HSE was completely committed to getting better value for patients without compromising quality or access. “That is completely different to a recruitment embargo,” he said.

And he said while the HSE had overspent its 2008 budget by €100 million, cost curtailment measures would be pursued to offset the deficit. Money spent on travel, training programmes and office furniture would be restricted.

HSE chairman Liam Downey said it had spent its entire capital budget allocated for buildings and equipment last year, unlike in previous years when millions were left unspent and returned to the Exchequer.