
Adapting International Best Practice to Transform Irish Health Care Ed Walsh NAGP AGM Dublin 23 November 2013
Irish Health Expenditure HSE m Private
Public Expenditure as % GDP Age adjusted Source: Paul Redmon, Public Policy.ie based on OECD health data 2012. GNP used for Ireland
Total Health Expenditure as % GDPAge Adjusted Paul Redmond, Expenditure and outputs in the Irish health system: a cross country comparison. Public Policy.ie c 2013 Age demographic adjustments are author’s own calculations. The denominator for Ireland is GNP.
Hospital Price LevelsOECD 2009 OECD 2009
Potential Savings % GDP 2009from greater efficiencies in Public Healthcare Spending
Potential Savings % GDP 2009from greater efficiencies in Public Healthcare Spending
Potential Savings % GDP 2009from greater efficiencies in Public Healthcare Spending
Potential Savings % GDP 2009from greater efficiencies in Public Healthcare Spending €9.7b (2003)
Keys to Sorting Irish Healtcare • Not more Funding but • Smarter Spending
Key Issue • Misallocation of Resources • Too few medics at the front line • Too many others in offices • Failure • to rationalise HSE when created • Integrated computer system
Medics Key Action • Increase number of GPs by factor of 2 • Increase number of Consultants by factor of 2.5 • Redeploy resources
Redeployment of Resources Where the savings?
Introduce State of the Art InformationTechnology&reduce size of Administration
Management Administration & Support Staff • If numbers reduced by 25% • Potential savings ≥ €500 m *Number November 2012, NSP 3013
Treasure Island • Pharma sector dub Ireland: ‘Treasure Island’ • Atorvastastin • UK €2 • Ireland (new reference price) €9.14
Expenditure on pharmaceuticals per capita % GDP, 2009 Irish expenditure 36% above OECD average
Cost of Month’s Supply 2012 Source; Sligo Today 10 Aug 2012
Savings: Drugs • Current expenditure €1.9 b • Cut expenditure by 36% to OECD average • Savings €690 m • Or cut by 73% to UK level (based on Donegal/Derry report) • Saving €1,380 m
Absenteeism Rates 2012 • Varies between 2.9% and 7.06% • Mean value ~ 5% • Private sector norm ~ 2.5%
Absenteeism • Medical/Dental 1.2% • Nursing 5.3%
Savings: cut absenteeism • HSE pay bill 2013: • €7,147 million/y • cut in absenteeism from 5% to 2.5% • saving €180 million/y
Practising Nurses per 1 000 population 2011 Note: Data includes all nurses in healthcare , including those who work as managers, researchers, etc http://dx.doi.org/10.1787/888932524279
Nursing • HSE had 37,540 nurses in 2009 • Number reduced by c. 4,000 • OECD numbers list all practicing nurses including those in management, education, etc.
Public Health Expenditure 2013 million
HSE spend on General Practice million
Number Medical or GP Visit Cards million