Healthcare funding needs to increase by €15bn per year to meet demands of ageing population

Research, residential care and pay-related costs are all set to contribute to the soaring health bill. 

The cost of delivering non-hospital health and social care could increase by up to €15bn per year due to rising costs and the population growing and ageing, a leading think-tank has suggested.

Research from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), published on Wednesday, projects significant expenditure for most primary, community, and long-term health and social care services in Ireland between 2019 and 2035.