THE CHALLENGES now facing the Health Service Executive (HSE) are akin to “war-time challenges”, with the likelihood that certain services will have to be rationed, a senior official with the organisation has said.
Seán McGrath, national director of human resources with the HSE, also said yesterday he believed things were going to get worse. “We may have to face really, really stark choices as the situation deteriorates over the coming weeks and months.
“I do believe we need war-time solutions and proposals because doing the same thing time and time again is not going to get us where we need to be.”
Asked if the situation was really that bad, he said: “I believe it is,” pointing out that there would have to be “rationing” of services.
He said the draw on demand-led schemes was now like “a runaway train” and the HSE was facing a deficit of €1 billion this year unless it took measures now to address it.
He said changes were being made to the HSE service plan for this year, and the revised plan would be brought before the HSE board next Monday.
Mr McGrath, who was speaking at a healthcare conference in Dublin, indicated it was not possible to say at this stage if allowances paid to other grades of healthcare worker other than junior doctors would also be targeted for cuts.
Already a number of junior doctors have gone to the High Court challenging the HSE’s attempts to interfere with their pay and conditions. The case will be heard next month.
Mr McGrath also spoke about plans to change current HSE structures and integrate services. He said the plan now was to have six HSE regions or operating areas, and the aim was to have the new regional directors in place by the end of this year.
Meanwhile, he said the HSE had already spent too much time at national level explaining why it needed to change the way things were done and the way services are delivered. If it did not now swiftly make changes the HSE would experience the corporate equivalent of a massive coronary.