Medical staff need support

THE minister for health has advised the HSE that the predicted contraction in activity in response to a reduction in resources is not an acceptable policy.

The shrinking budget and diminishing staff numbers have left many health service providers unable to balance the books while maintaining the services needed to provide a full range of quality services.

However, the minister is correct in his assumption that there are opportunities to examine many of the systems in the healthcare sector and to remove wasteful activities and obsolete practices. Adopting a process improvement approach as seen in many hospitals in Canada, Australia and the UK may provide significant financial savings to the exchequer, while also improving the efficiency of the service.