Reilly faces unions battle over Croke Park review

Health Minister James Reilly has set himself on course for a battle with trade unions after declaring that the Croke Park Agreement needs to be renegotiated.

He said the bulk of his budget was made up of pay and he had exhausted all measures designed to save money.

Dr Reilly said the health budget would have to deliver €700m in additional savings next year and this would be impossible without looking at labour costs.

“If 70% of my budget is pay... then clearly pay becomes an issue,” he said.

Dr Reilly also criticised the level of absenteeism in some areas, which stood at 10%.

He was speaking a day after the Health Service Executive (HSE) announced its controversial new plans to seek an extra €130m in savings before the end of the year.

However, the general secretary of the Irish Nurses Organisation, Liam Doran, refused to countenance any return to talks on the terms of the Croke Park deal

He said the issue of absenteeism was one with which his members did not have a problem, because nurses suffered when they had to pick up the slack of missing colleagues.

But Mr Doran said it was a management matter rather than a pay one.

“The Croke Park Agreement lasts until the end of 2014. We have kept our side of the agreement and we expect the Government to keep its side,” he said.

Earlier this summer, Labour leader Eamon Gilmore was forced to reassure his party’s rank and file that the partnership deal would not be broken.

The reopening of one of the most controversial topics within the Coalition came as the HSE sought to defend its effort to stay within its budget with €130m in fresh cuts.

But its new chief executive Tony O’Brien said the cuts had not been imposed by the department, because it was for his organisation to decide where money would be found.

“The HSE has responsibility for managing the services and living within its budget. We do share information and consult with the Department of Health, but these decisions were not made by the minister,” he said.

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

However, user groups and private health operators hit out at the impact the cuts are likely to have and branded some of the measures as counterproductive.

Home and Community Care Ireland, Alone, and Siptu said the decision to reduce home help hours by 5.5%, to save €10.8m, would force elderly people to move back to costly hospital beds.

“The HSE’s own figures calculate the daily cost of keeping someone in a hospital bed at around €900 a day. This is assuming 100% occupancy and also does not take into account depreciation or capital costs.

“In contrast, with home care it costs about €185 a day to provide someone with full-time care at home,” HCCI said.

‘Too busy’ to talk but not email

Under-fire Health Minister James Reilly sent out a press release championing the Government’s “basic requirement” national broadband plan for his constituency — while he was “too busy” to talk about HSE cuts.

The minister finally broke his silence on the health service crisis at 4pm yesterday, after a day and a half of dodging questions on the health service woes.

However, 24 hours earlier, his constituency office sent out a chest-thumping press release on his behalf, thanking Communications Minister Pat Rabbitte for the broadband plan — and the help it will give his area.

“I am delighted with today’s announcement, as Fingal will finally have access to high-speed broadband, particularly in rural areas.

“Having access to high speed internet is a basic requirement for people in all walks of life,” the Dublin North TD wrote.

The “basic requirement” press release came as patient groups warned their HSE care “basic requirement” has fallen victim to cutbacks.

— Fiachra Ó Cionnaith