HSE budget overruns - Vulnerable should not suffer

The Health Service Executive (HSE) is already failing to meet its 2008 targets and this certainly does not inspire confidence for next year when further cuts are due to be implemented.

Of course, nobody should be surprised, because only last month the Comptroller and Auditor General reported the HSE overran its budget by €245 million in 2007.

It was obvious during the first half of last year that it was exceeding its budget, but no effort was made to cut back, because under the old health board system it was not penalised if it failed to meet its budget. Then, in the second half of the year, the bulk of the savings were made on cuts to services.