1. INTRODUCTION

This pre-budget submission, from the Irish Nurses Organisation (INO) has been formulated in the context of the following:

1. the excellent state of the public finances; 
2. the positive economic predictions for 2007/2008; 
3. the government’s own health strategy and health service reform programmes;
4. the need to address the gross inequalities and barriers to retention which continue to face nurses and midwives.

It now seems certain, based upon the public finances covering the first ten months of this year, that the government will be in a much healthier state, as it finalises its budget for 2007, than had previously been expected. 

This reality, coming at the end of an extended period where Ireland has had very healthy public finances, must be utilised by the government to address the continuing inadequacies, both in terms of size and infrastructure, which exists within the country’s public health service.

There can be no excuse, in such a wealthy economy, for a health service which still:

• sees 200 plus people, regularly, lying on trolleys unable to access a bed despite being deemed suitable for admission to acute hospital - progress has been made but much more needs to be done;
• has the population not being able to access an active, well resourced and structured, primary health care system;
• sees our elderly citizens, spending their later years, in physical surroundings which are inadequate, in need of refurbishment, without reasonable levels of privacy and lacking adequate staffing levels to meet patient needs to an acceptable standard thus preserving the dignity of the person.

The government must also use this budget to greatly improve its ability to spend all allocated monies on capital developments.  The latest figures, again for the ten month period January to October 2006, confirms that planned capital expenditure is lagging behind with the government having spent considerably less than it had planned.  This is inexcusable when one considers the inadequacies of the health services and, indeed, other inadequate public facilities i.e. schools, sports/ recreational facilities and nursing and pre-school services all over the country.

Against this positive economic background the government must now commit itself, through Budget 2007, to delivering upon the additional capital, and infrastructural, requirements identified in its own health strategy of 2001.  At that time it was mistakenly argued that the country could not afford the levels of investment (€7 billion) which had been identified by the Department of Health and Children.  The INO has always held the view that this was mistaken, short sighted and contrary to ensuring the health and wellbeing of future generations in this country.

Our continued economic prosperity must now be utilised positively so that we plan, and build, the additional infrastructure which will ensure that, within five years, we have the world class health service that everyone desires.

In this pre-budget submission the INO will again argue that our public finances now allows for the following:

• the introduction of a range of measures to ensure equity of access, high standards and transparency with our health service;
• the reversal of the mass emigration of Irish trained nurses to other countries because Ireland does not value them properly;
• the retention of all graduating nurses/midwives in the public health service;
• increasing our bed capacity to that identified by the health strategy of 2001;
• delivering upon the primary health care strategy published in 2001.

Download Fulltext of Submission Below:

 Pre-Budget Submission - Budget 2007