Source of health funding crisis is Government not Croke Park Agreement – Ó Caoláin
Commenting
on the leaked correspondence from Public Expenditure and Reform Minister
Brendan Howlin to Health Minister James Reilly on the “over-run” in health
spending, the Sinn Féin health spokesperson Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin TD said:
“The
funding crisis in the public health services has its source in fundamentally
flawed Government policy and not in the Croke Park Agreement. We are now seeing
an effort to target the pay of people working in the health services as part of
the austerity drive. If implemented such pay cuts would be imposed alongside
cuts in services for patients, not instead of them as Minister Reilly is
pretending.
“The
continuing recruitment embargo is a false economy as it has led to increased
use of expensive agency staff and to more over-time working by existing staff.
“The
Croke Park Agreement provides for flexible working and this should be used to
the maximum. Due to the continuing cuts and the recruitment embargo, staff are
under severe pressure but have shown flexibility. One of the main drivers of
costs in the health services is not the Croke Park Agreement but the
consultants’ contracts which keep pay for top earners in the health service at
excessive levels.
“Less
attention has been paid to the admission by Minister of State for Health, Roísin
Shortall, that between January and May this year 296 public residential care
beds have been shut and that the Department of Health does not have a way of
identifying the number of beds opened or closed in the private sector in the
same period. There are over 600 public hospital beds occupied by people whose
treatment is complete but whose discharge is delayed, mainly because they are
older people and there are no care home places or step-down facilities for
them. With care home beds being closed and acute hospital beds also closed –
over 2,400 at present – the system is being contracted at both ends.
“Clearly Minister Reilly and his colleagues are continuing the failure of their predecessors and are driving the health service into deeper crisis.”