Budget 2027: Better access to out-of-hours GPs with €1.6bn increase in health spending

The annual health budget now stands at €29.1bn.

Patients should have better access to out-of-hours GPs and children's dental care as the health budget increased by €1.6bn, but doctors have already warned that the overall spend is inadequate.

The annual health budget now stands at €29.1bn.

Public expenditure minister Jack Chambers said the increased funding will see the free contraceptive scheme expand to cover women aged up to 37.

Workers in the health sector joined in public sector strikes this month in protest at low salaries and limits on hiring. The budget offers funding for frontline and community staff, said Mr Chambers, adding that this is only "within agreed pay budgets". 

The budget will see an extra 1.8m home-help hours for older people, while construction in healthcare and changes in digital health are allocated €1.7bn in funding through the national development plan for next year.

The surgical hub network is set to expand, while work will continue on delayed elective hospitals, including in Cork and Galway.

The national development plan will also support opening additional beds in acute, community, and mental health.

The mental health budget will receive an additional €108m for 2027, up 7%, to €1.657bn.

New ADHD pathways will open for children attending Child & Adolescent Mental Health services (Camhs).

The funding will see six additional Solace cafes established, to bring the total around the country to 15, offering free out-of-hours support for those in need of mental health support.  

Funding is available for two community crisis resolution teams in rural counties which do not have an acute unit. An additional 12 suicide crisis assessment nurse (SCAN) teams will be funded, ensuring there is at least one in every county.

Dedicated funding will also support suicide prevention initiatives for the Traveller community.

However, reaction has been muted from healthcare groups.

The Irish Hospital Consultants Association called for “more realistic, multiannual budgeting” to help avoid supplementary supports next year.

“The current spending overruns in the HSE, which could reach €1bn by the end of the year, points to an inability to set these budgets on a realistic footing, properly accounting for increasing demand for care and treatments,” it said.

“We will face further stop-start recruitment which is one of the more expensive habits of the HSE.” 

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation said the budget does not address "the root causes of long waiting times and overcrowding; insufficient staffing and capacity."

The Asthma Society of Ireland welcomed an increase in the cost of tobacco of up to €1 per box of 20 cigarettes and a 20c per ml tax on vapes.

“Taxation is only one part of the solution. Fiscal measures should be matched by sufficient investment in services to support people who want to quit,” it said. 

Alcohol Action Ireland said it was disappointed by the Government’s decision not to increase excise duties on alcohol for the 13th year in a row. 

The National Women’s Council welcomed expansion of the contraceptive scheme but said its preference remains for “age limits on this scheme to be removed altogether”.

Health minister Jennifer Carroll McNeill and ministers of state in the Department of Health will hold a budget briefing on Wednesday morning.