Healthcare - Make cuts, but in the right places

Health Minister Mary Harney received a polite reception from nurses at the Irish Nurses Organisation conference in Killarney yesterday. The conference talks were dominated by the temporary freeze on recruitment as part of the Health Service Executive’s (HSE) plans to cut the €245 million deficit.

The National Implementation Board has condemned the non-engagement of the HSE with the trade unions as a breach of industrial relations procedures, as well as a violation of the terms of Towards 2016. As a result, the Health Service unions have urged the 100,000 members of staff not to co-operate with the HSE.

Ms Harney and Professor Brendan Drumm, the chief executive of the HSE, both insist that the changes would have minimal impact on patient care.

If cutting back on so much expenditure will only have a minimal effect on the treatment of patients, the question must be asked: Was this money being wasted all along?

Nobody is likely to doubt that extravagant sums of money have been squandered on administrative functions and suspect computer systems. If the changes were to clean up this mess, people would understand, but it seems that the cuts are in the frontline staff — among those who have most contact with patients.

This is only likely to compound healthcare problems.