OPINION: Health and Sláintecare must be priorities in forthcoming Budget

YEARS of under-funding, under-staffing and under-resourcing in the health service exposed by the Covid pandemic must be tackled in the forthcoming Budget by the Government.

The future of Sláintecare – the planned universal health care service guaranteeing equal access for all – must also be clarified.

Problems in the health service were highlighted last week by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation which published its pre-budget submission for 2023.

The union which represents 42,000 nurses and midwives has said that urgent action must be taken as part of the budgetary process to tackle the many problems in the health service.

In its submission the nurses representative body has a number of key asks.

These include

* The Report of the Expert Review Body on Nursing and Midwifery must be implemented fully to show commitment and support to the future of nursing and midwifery professions in Ireland.

* All nurse staffing must be underpinned by the Framework Model for Safe Nurse Staffing and Skill Mix.

* The Framework must be funded, underpinned by legislation and expanded across the health service. Implementation must be faster and focused on completion of phase 1, which must be rolled out by year-end 2023. Phase 2 (Emergency Departments) must also be implemented across all the 29 emergency departments before the end of 2023

* The recommendations of the Health Service Capacity Review must be implemented, and bed occupancy reduced to 85%.

* For  Sláintecare to deliver a universally accessible health care service for all, it must be enshrined in legislation.  The Government must clarify the sustainability and long-term future of Sláintecare and commit to multi-annual funding.

* There must be zero tolerance for overcrowding in our hospitals and emergency departments.

* The physical and mental health of nurses and midwives working in hospitals and community settings must be a priority for the HSE and other health employers.

* Funding must be provided to establish a health service division within the HSA to ensure adequate protections for nurses, midwives and other healthcare workers in response to the  increase in workplace assaults, burnout and occupational infections.

These are all reasonable asks by a body representing health care workers who give invaluable service to the community as shown during the two years of the Covid pandemic.

Since the Dáil broke up for its summer recess, 11,275 people have been without a bed in Irish hospitals. Unless there is meaningful action on staffing, bed capacity and using the capacity of private hospitals, we are in for an extremely bleak winter. The Minister for Health must prioritise the publication and actioning of a fully funded winter capacity plan in tandem with Budget 2023.

With the ongoing cost of living and energy crisis the Government will be under extreme pressure to introduce supports to help ordinary citizens in Budget 2023.

But the health service and Sláintecare must also be a priority as there are a myriad of problems to be tackled in this vital sector.