€1bn health cuts to hit key services

Longer nursing home waiting lists, emergency department closures, a cull of 75,000 medical cards, and cancer screening cancellations all form part of a savage €1bn health service cutback next year.

Doctors and nurses warned that the “austerity charter” would “compromise safety”, while opposition politicians claimed some cuts have little evidence to back them up.

According to the HSE’s 2014 Service Plan, which was published yesterday and details exactly how taxpayers’ money will be spent next year, the system faces just over €1bn in cuts over the coming 12 months.