Budget 2024: The Government’s own reports say 1,000 new beds a year are needed to meet demand. Photograph: iStockThe numbers don’t add up. Mr Donnelly himself highlights the multiple factors driving up spending in health, notably health inflation running at up to 20 per cent and a substantial increase in demand for services, particularly among older patients.
Most of the €1 billion-plus deficit forecast for the end of this year relates to recurrent costs, which need to be covered again next year – and that is before the impacts of inflation and further increases in demand are taken into account.chief executive Bernard Gloster has already acknowledged that up to €2.
“The budget decision appears to mean that the availability of these new medicines depends on other new savings being realised in-year by the HSE over and above the savings being delivered by our members,” said the“This is not a good basis to plan for new treatments. It will lead to delays, uncertainty and backlogs, as before. In short, it risks avoidable deterioration in the conditions of many patients, adults and children included.
Too little, too late, some might say. The agency budget this year is €300 million, but spending is expected to hit €1 billion.