Shocked? Your staff should read the MoS, Minister
DESPITE officials at Health Minister Stephen Donnelly’s department claiming to be shocked this week at the overrun in the HSE budget, emails obtained under Freedom of Information show they may have known about this massive hole for almost a year and under-funded the health system from the start.
The National Service Plan sets out each year how much is needed to operate the health service.
And an email, sent on behalf of HSE chairman Ciarán Devane to his board on December 22 last, about this year’s National Service Plan, gives a fascinating insight into how the deficit was foreseen, foreseeable and inevitable.
The email reads: ‘The Minister has sent us the attached letter relating to the NSP (National Service Plan). The reality that the Existing Level of Service is not 100% funded has not landed with the department. The ask is to close the gap through efficiencies.
‘EMT [Executive Management Team] has been discussing the letter today and will do some work over the break. It is likely we will need a call in early January to hear back from them and to agree the next step in the discussion/ negotiation.’
Two months later in a lengthy email regarding a pending meeting with Mr Donnelly to discuss the National Service Plan for 2023 – which was sent to his board on February 17, the HSE Chair warned: ‘We will need to be careful to ensure that the funding matches the plans.’
However, an email received by the Chair from one of his board members a month later reveals that since November 2022, it was known there would be a massive deficit.
This email from board member Brendan Lenihan on March 20 – just days before the plan was launched by the HSE after being first approved by Mr Donnelly without the expected deficit of €2bn being specifically mentioned – reads: ‘You will recall that HSE Management in its November draft identified the likelihood of a significant deficit and put numbers on that (in the region of €1.5bn to €2bn) this comprising operational issues of €717m, plus operational risks of €707m, plus other risks in pensions and demand led of €171m. Making a total of €1.595m before Covid19 costs (which were quantified at €591m).’
He added: ‘These are very sizable numbers, to say the least.’