HSE chief defends absence from authority briefing

New HSE chief Tony O’Brien has defended his absence from the authority’s announcement of the latest raft of health cuts.

Mr O’Brien, who has emphasised the need for accountability, said he believed the HSE spokespeople at Thursday’s press briefing were best placed to answer detailed questions. Asked what he was doing, at that time, when the €130m in cuts were announced, Mr O’Brien said he was preparing the speech he delivered at a conference in Trinity College Dublin yesterday.

Mr O’Brien, who was a guest speaker at the Implementation Science Summer School in TCD, said he had also spent part of Thursday meeting with system managers.

“The spokespeople were best placed to explain the detail of those cuts to be implemented,” he insisted.

“The HSE has limited room for manoeuvre and a significant financial challenge and has four months in which to bring the service back into an improved financial position,” he said.

“Everything we can do to minimise the impact of the financial position on patients and other people in receipt of care services will be done,” he insisted.

Asked if the cuts would be at least half a billion euro next year, Mr O’Brien said it was wrong to speculate on a figure at this stage.

“That is a matter yet to be determined,” he said.

Mr O’Brien said the selection and analysis of areas where it would be possible to reduce spending was a matter for HSE management, not for the Minister for Health, Dr James Reilly.

Mr O’Brien said the cuts, while necessary, should not distract from the need for fundamental reforms needed in the years ahead.

Asked about the Croke Park deal that would see increments paid out in the order of €170m this year, Mr O’Brien said many of the advantages under the deal had been delivered by the trade union groups.

“The fact remains that 4,000 staff left the health service earlier this year and we have seen significant improvements in access to services.”