The HSE has proposed cutting the number of hospital admissions this year and has warned about its ability to maintain services at last year's levels.

The health executive's latest service plan has proposed cutting the number of people admitted to hospital for treatment this year by around 54,000.

The draft service plan was submitted to the Department of Health late last month for approval, acording to a report  on RTE News

The plan provides for just under 541,000 inpatient treatments this year, compared with nearly 595,000 last year and says there will be 'a real reduction in the level of inpatient care provided' this year.

The draft plan estimates that around 1,500 HSE staff will retire this year at a cost of €167 million, which will come out of core services budgets.

It says that the moratorium on recruitment and the number of people taking incentivised early retirement will affect the ability of the HSE to maintain services this year at 2009 levels in all facilities.

The plan provides for 679,510 day cases this year - an extra 769 treatments compared with last year.

It says some of the inpatient cuts are being achieved through "emergency admission avoidance" and the provision of alternative community-based services.

There is a commitment that patients who need admission will secure this within six hours of registering at an emergency department.

The draft plan also warns that the total income raised by the HSE could fall this year if new arrangements with drug companies fail to deliver predicted savings, there are higher than expected successful appeals under the repayment of illegal nursing home charges scheme and unanticipated costs in the clinical indemnity scheme, which deals with claims for medical negligence from patients.

These factors could worsen the HSE's financial posposition as the year progresses.

It says the HSE is planning to save an extra €106 million in value for money measures.

Prior to December's Budget, a cut of over €1 billion to the health service had been mooted, and this might have entailed much greater service reductions than those indicated in the HSE service plan.

However, it transpired that that €695 million of the €1.06 billion to be saved in health this year is to come from the controversial pay cuts for public servants, including health workers at all levels, which include big cuts for high earners such as hospital consultants.

Fine Gael health spokesman, Dr James Reilly TD, said more patients will wait in pain for hospital treatment this year if the HSE’s plan comes to pass.

“I am alarmed by reports that the HSE is planning to cut the number of patients admitted to hospital by 54,000 this year.  It is a travesty to describe this as a ‘service plan’ when it is in fact a blueprint to cut service to patients in need."