HSE €14.2m over budget last year
Last year, the HSE spent €13.528bn, an overspend of €14.2m. Despite this, the health authority maintains that it was “an effective financial balance”, given the resources available.
Health Minister Simon Harris had predicted last October that the HSE would come in on budget for the first time in a number of years.
The HSE’s latest performance report shows that acute hospitals had a deficit of €55.9m because of a failure to achieve income targets and a €13m overspend on the 2015 waiting list initiative.
There was a surplus €24.9m in social care for older persons that arose because the number of applications under the Nursing Home Support Scheme, also known as Fair Deal, was lower than expected.
Disability services had a deficit of €19.3m, mainly due to increased demand for residential placements, staff costs, and additional money spent on complying with regulatory standards.
The Treatment Abroad Scheme was €2.3m over budget because of higher than expected spending towards the end of the year.
The report shows that €30.637m was spent last year on the new children’s hospital on the campus of St James’s Hospital in Dublin.
There was a reduction in the number of delayed discharges — patients whose acute part of their care has ended — from 559 in January last year to 436 by the end of the year.
The national breast screening service, BreastCheck, achieved a 74.4% uptake rate last year, exceeding a 70% target. Also, 96% of adults referred to mental health services were seen within 12 weeks, which was ahead of the 90% target set.
