Northern Ireland health service faces £800m shortfall as officials seek savings plan

Officials hope to avoid a single-year cut of 12% by spreading required reductions over multiple years after a recent committee warned the figure was unfeasible.

By Rachel Graham1 min read

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Secretary Haaland visited New Mexico to highlight recent actions and investments from the Department to conserve public lands and invest in Tribal communities throughout New Mexico on 20 June 2024. File photograph. Picture: U.S. Department of the Interior · licence

The Department of Health and the health trusts are expected to officially respond to how efficiencies could be tackled in the coming weeks.

A recent health committee heard that achieving a 12% reduction in one year would not be feasible for the system.

To break even, the current health service in Northern Ireland would have to make around 12% of savings in a single year.

The scale of the required savings is significant given the funding gap currently facing the sector.

At the moment, the health service in Northern Ireland faces a funding gap of £800m.

Officials hoped that the necessary reductions could be spread over several years rather than implemented all at once.

The Department of Health (DoH) and the health trusts are expected to officially respond to how efficiencies could be tackled.

No further details on the specific measures proposed were provided in the available information.