Actually the HSE have already started restructuring their finances.  They are acting on the recommendations of a report they received in 2007.  They have already implemented 9 out of 25 changes.  And they certainly needed them.

The HSE inherited the financial structure of the old Health Board system.  That meant that they had a staggering 250 bank accounts spread throughout seven different banks.  The HSE also inherited 17 individual accounting systems.  In short it must be nearly impossible for them to keep track of where taxpayers money is going.

How much do the HSE think they can save by gaining transparency in their financial systems?  A whopping €100 million a year.  But there is a small snag.  Isn’t there always.  The new systems will cost somewhere in the region of €50million.  So it remains to be seen if the government will be willing to sign off on te HSE plans.

The Health services track record is not good.  They spent a fortune on PPARS pay systems that never worked.  In fairness to the Health Service Executive, they inherited that mess too.  It had been underway since 1995 and cost us a mere €150million in total.  We were still in the midst of the Celtic Tiger when that news broke and the general reaction seemed to be a lack of surprise but not the kind of outrage that we might see if we see a repeat performance in the current economic climate.  Deloitte were quite happy having made €40million in consultancy fees on that project alone. At the end of 2005 over €30 million had been spent on consultancy fees alone.  And what did the HSE have to show for that money?  Not one single element of the project had been implemented after 10 years!

But I’m sure the HSE will do a better job of undertaking a much larger project.  I’m sure it will only take the two years they expect it to take to roll it out.  And I’m sure it will only cost the €50million they say it will. The HSE had nothing to do with the Port Tunnel, or the Luas.  What could possibly go wrong?

At least the government are clever enough to ask serious questions before they sign on the dotted line… aren’t they?

Maybe it is time to get a job in IT…. I smell money.

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