Speech
Statement by Minister Donnelly at the Department of Health Budget 2022 Press Briefing
From Department of Health
By: Minister for Health; Stephen Donnelly
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Health
By: Minister for Health; Stephen Donnelly
Published on
Last updated on
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Good afternoon all and thank you for your help in having today’s session virtually. I’m joined today by:
On Tuesday we announced a health budget of over €22bn for 2022. The budget is designed very specifically as another important step on our goal of universal healthcare – that every girl and boy, every woman and man, can access high quality care when they need it, regardless of how much money they have, or how much money their parents have.
The health budget sees an increase in core funding of approximately €1bn, with another €1bn being allocated for COVID-related pressures, including €250m to tackle the waiting lists. On top of this, activity scheduled for this year, but which will not happen due to COVID-19 and the cyber-attack, has been fully protected and is being provided in next year’s budget, bringing the total budget to over €22.4bn.
It’s the largest health budget in the history of the state. And it reinforces the ongoing commitment this government has to universal healthcare.
The scale of the challenge faced by the health system in Ireland from COVID-19 was unprecedented and is still ongoing. The success of the vaccination rollout programme has gone a long way towards easing the pressure on our health system and allows us to focus further on the reforms needed to provide the best health and social care system for our citizens.
However, the effects of dealing with the pandemic have left us with unacceptably long waiting lists and I am allocating an €350m, (€200m to the HSE and €150m to the NTPF) to address this issue. I have recently announced a task force to tackle waiting lists as a precursor to implementing a multi-annual waiting list plan. This will include learnings from our successful vaccine programme.
Universal healthcare means meeting three clear tests – is it accessible, is it high quality and is it affordable. This health budget is designed to make real progress on all three of these areas.
In relation to high quality care, I am following through on my commitment to prioritise funding for Women’s Health issues. Budget 2022 is allocating unprecedented funding of €47m towards investment in women’s health. This includes:
Significant funding of €62m has been provided for the accelerated implementation of a number of National Strategies, including the National Cancer Strategy, the National Maternity Strategy, the National Trauma Strategy, the National Ambulance Service, as well as the roll-out of other social care strategies, including in the area of dementia and palliative care.
Regarding patient access. I allocated significant funding in 2021 to fund 2,500 new hospital and community beds. Despite the challenges faced by the health system over 2,200 of these beds will be delivered by the end of this year, a record number of beds ever delivered in a single year. The balance of these new beds will be coming on stream during 2022. I am allocating a further €10.5m to provide an additional 19 critical care beds bringing the total of critical care beds to 340 in line with the 2018 Health Capacity Review target of providing 430 such beds by 2031.
As the first point of contact for many of our citizens seeking health care, I am allocating €8m to the National Ambulance Service to modernise and build up its capacity.
Budget 2022 also reinforces the government’s commitment to significantly expand the health sector workforce. Funding is being provided for an additional 8,000 healthcare workers on top of the over 7,000 staff recruited in 2021. Acute beds will be staffed according to the agreed safe staffing/skill mix framework for nursing. Funding is also provided to expand the Advanced Nursing and Midwifery workforce to a target of 2.3% of the total nursing and midwifery workforce in 2022.
Other funding includes €30m for new drugs.
One additional measure that will be implemented this year is one-off funding of €30m, with €10m each going to hospices & palliative care, mental health and disabilities. Further details of this funding will be announced soon.
We are also making progress on affordability. I am expanding access to free GP care to those aged 6 and 7. The monthly threshold for the Drug Payment Scheme will fall from €114 to €100 per month in 2022. Actions will be taken on a phased basis to reduce the financial burden of hospital charges for children under 18.
Budget 2022 responds strongly to the Programme for Government commitment to introduce more care in the community. This will reduce our dependence on the hospital centric model of care and allow people to remain living at home for longer.
It is critical that we continue to strategically invest in enhancing the quality and clinical safety of our health services. In addition to the strategies I have already referred to, I am providing a further €36.5m for a range of measures including the Safe Staffing Framework, Anti-Microbial Resistance and Infection Control (AMRIC) and the implementation of the recommendations of Nursing Home Expert Panel.
I am allocating €37m in additional funding for mental health services, as well as €10m in one-off COVID-related funding. I’m allocating €30m to build on the investment last year in older persons and dementia services and supports. My colleague Minister Butler will be leading the work on these important areas.
I am allocating an additional €105m to disability services with a further €10m in once off COVID-19 funding. This builds on the large increase in funding to this much deserving sector. My colleague, Minister Rabbitte will be leading this work.
We are investing heavily in Public Health. I have allocated an additional €10m for Healthy Ireland as well as €3m in one-off COVID funding, and €6m for social inclusion including the national drug strategy. Minister Feighan will be leading the work in these critical areas.
€500m has been allocated to maintain minimum stock levels of personal protective equipment for those working across the health system, to continue to operate a comprehensive nationwide testing and tracing system, to allow for the continuation of the vaccination programme in 2022, including implementing a booster programme for those population cohorts identified in line with international guidance as well as other recovery and resilience measures across the wider health system.
An additional €500m is being allocated under COVID funding, with half of this for waiting lists, and the other half as capital and contingency.
This has been another difficult year for those working in healthcare. Our doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, and everyone across the health service have been working tirelessly throughout this pandemic. The great success of our vaccine rollout has allowed us to move back to a more normal way of living and working.
While COVID-19 has highlighted major challenges in our health services, it has also highlighted our strengths, including the resilience, professionalism, courage and innovative spirit of our healthcare workers.
Budget 2022 funds our ongoing COVID-19 response. But more than that, it is also about building capacity, hiring staff and bringing positive permanent change to our health service.
The continuing investments made in recent years will mean that through the reforms being enacted, Ireland will have a better and more resilient public healthcare system.
Thank you.