HSE South will have to save €44m

The Health Service Executive (HSE) South will have to find savings of more than €44m at a time when its budget has been trimmed by €8.6m.

In addition, a planned 800-strong reduction in staffing numbers for 2013 means the HSE South will have almost 4,000 fewer staff by year end than in 2007.

Across the health service, staff levels have reduced by 11,268 since the peak of Sept 2007. The figures are contained in the HSE South regional service for 2013 plan, published this week.

While the acute hospital sector in the HSE South is to receive an additional €46m, other areas will suffer reductions, including the disability sector, where a €1.3m budget reduction means savings need to be made under what is termed “disability efficiencies”.

Also in the area of disability, the service plan says: “It will be necessary for smaller agencies that carry fixed overheads to examine options for amalgamation/sharing of services”.

Staffing has been hit by a budget reduction of €13m — with more pressure on hospitals and other health services to operate within the HSE’s employment control framework.

The budget for HSE management grades has been reduced by €208,000 — less than the reduction applied to co-payments for respite care, at €274,000.

Of the €44m “cost containment” measures required across the HSE South, €24m must come for the acute hospital sector and the remainder from the community sector.

The picture is bleak for those wishing to avail of nursing home support under the Nursing Home Support Scheme, where a queue will operate.

On the upside, funding has been provided nationally for Diabetic Retinopathy screening and the programme is expected to commence this year with treatment delivered at Cork University Hospital and Waterford Regional Hospital.

However, an epilepsy monitoring unit (EMU) to identify patients who may be suitable for epilepsy surgery will not open before the third quarter of 2013, according to the plan. This is despite the fact the country is without any EMU because a second unit at Beaumont Hospital also remains closed.

In the area of primary care, the HSE South will get about €3.3m for the recruitment of “prioritised front line Primary Care Team posts”, 48 in total.

In the area of mental health services, the HSE South is to get an additional €4.1m, but this is against a requirement to make savings of €7.5m.

A number of acute hospitals have received funding for additional beds, 68 in total, including 32 medical beds at CUH and 10 at the Mercy University Hospital and 10 additional short-stay surgical beds at Wexford General.