THE HSE is to reduce the level of cuts in hospital admissions planned for this year. However, there will still be tens of thousands fewer in-patients than last year.
In its draft service plan for 2010, drawn up over recent weeks, the HSE forecast the number of in-patients treated in acute public hospitals this year would fall by 54,000.
However, highly placed sources said that in the final version of the plan to be submitted to Minister for Health Mary Harney this week, the reduction in in-patient admissions will be about 46,000.
The move follows consideration of the plan by the board of the HSE last week and discussions between the Minister and senior HSE officials in recent days.
Once the plan – which is effectively an agreement on how the €13 billion budget given to the HSE will be spent – is submitted to the Department of Health, the Minister has three weeks to give her approval.
Sources said talks were continuing between the HSE and Department of Health on the exact number of additional beds in acute hospitals to be closed this year.
The Irish Times revealed last week that the HSE was looking at taking up to 1,100 acute beds out of service this year to cut costs and transform the way hospital services are run.
The bed closures, if implemented, would be in addition to at least 900 bed closures in 2009.
In its draft service plan, the HSE said it was envisaged there would be “a real reduction” in the level of in-patient care provided this year.
“In real terms the plan is to deliver services within the resources available and to maintain services, on a combined in-patient and day case basis at 2009 target levels,” it said.
The draft plan last year had a target of treating 573,360 in-patients and 647,000 day cases, but the out-turn was significantly higher at 594,994 in-patients and 678,741 day cases.
The draft document forecast the number of in-patients seen this year would be 540,993 – a reduction of 54,000 on the 2009 level – and 679,510 day cases, an increase of just under 1,000 on last year.
In its draft document, the HSE said the key risk to it delivering the proposed level of services in 2010 was the potential impact of the Government’s moratorium on recruitment.
“The HSE will manage this risk on a site-by-site basis by reconfiguring and redeploying staff.
“However, our capacity to maintain service levels at the 2009 level in all facilities will be significantly impacted by (i) the volume and the composition of staff who choose to retire or leave the organisation and cannot be replaced and (ii) the practicality of redeploying staff,” it said.
Health sector trade unions have warned the HSE they will not co-operate with any reform plans including redeployments in protest at pay cuts introduced by the Government in the budget.
The Impact trade union has warned of industrial action in the health sector from next week.
The draft document also said the service plan was based on a projection that there would be 1,500 retirements from the HSE this year. “If there is significant variation from this number, service levels are likely to be affected, unless supplementary funding is available to cover for the lump sum and pension payments.
An amount of €167 million has been extracted from core services budgets to provide funding for this estimated number of retirements,” the draft document stated.
The HSE said it had to pay from its own budget the statutory lump sums and annual pensions to staff who retired.