HSE to announce how it is to spend what could be its biggest budget ever

We will find out later how the HSE will use €14bn to run the health service next year.

Its Director General, Tony O'Brien will join the Health Minister Simon Harris in announcing details of the 2017 service plan.

The package could amount to the biggest budget in the HSE's history.

Meanwhile, it is reported this morning that the Government will also unveil a new strategy to fund breakthrough drugs like the Cystic Fibrosis treatment Orkambi, using income streams like hospital car parks and private patients.

The HSE’s service plan will include:

A €14bn overall budget;

€4.4bn spent on acute hospitals;

€3.8bn on primary care services;

€3.3bn for disability and elderly care;

€853m for mental health;

€155m for the national ambulance service.

It will also detail on an 8% child home-care packages rise, a 50c cut in prescription charges for over-70s medical card holders, and plans to being new GP contract talks early next year.

However, Mr O’Brien is expected today to note that the funding may still not be enough to meet the existing needs of the service.