Press release
Minister Donnelly welcomes publication of Health Spending Review Papers
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Health
Published on
Last updated on
The Minister for Health, Stephen Donnelly, has welcomed the publication of two Spending Review Papers produced by officials within his department.
The spending review process, led by DPER, is a key platform for evidence on policy making across the Civil Service. Supported by Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service (IGEES) staff working directly in all departments, the process has become a focal point for the broad range of analysis across the Civil Service.
The first paper: 'Factors Affecting Agency and Overtime Expenditure in the Irish Health Service', investigates potential drivers of expenditure on agency staff and overtime hours in the health sector. It provides an in-depth analysis of expenditure trends and whole-time equivalent numbers since 2012 in the six service areas across the health sector. This research improves our understanding of the linkage between permanent staffing levels and agency and overtime usage. This will contribute to better budgeting of agency and overtime expenditure and forms a basis for future research to identify policies to reduce reliance on agency and overtime.
The second paper: 'Expanded Provision of Home Support and Total Costs of Long-Term Care for Older Persons', explores the impact of increased provision of home support services on overall costs of long-term care for older persons and highlights how changes in key variables can affect these costs. While the paper is largely exploratory in nature, it finds that careful targeting of services and effective cost controls offer the potential for enhanced service provision to be achieved without significant expenditure increases. This research will inform policy development and assist in the design of a programme evaluation plan in respect of implementing a statutory home support scheme.
Minister Donnelly said:
“I welcome the findings of these reviews and the contribution they can make towards greater understanding of the range of factors considered including agency and overtime usage and drivers of pay expenditure going forward. The first paper has provided one of the most detailed analyses of agency and overtime expenditure in the Irish health service to date, while the second explores one of the key areas of older person care the health service offers.”