#health-spending

#health-spending

In the first two weeks of January 2026, overall spend on health and wellbeing rose by 3.9% year-on-year, despite customer numbers falling by 2.8%. Spend per customer increased by 6.8%, showing that those who continue to prioritise health are committing more of their budget to it. The data suggests that January is no longer viewed as a reset period, reflecting how health and wellbeing is now prioritised within household budgets throughout the year rather than treated as discretionary spend.

Northern Ireland's health trusts spent almost 22m in a single year on restricted procedures which should only be carried out in very specific circumstances, according to the auditor general. Dorinnia Carville said about 12,000 operations, which include tummy tucks and tonsillectomies, were carried out in 2023-24 without any assurance they complied with government policy. Ms Carville described the lack of oversight by the Department of Health and the trusts as "very disappointing".

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) benchmarking review highlighted that while Ireland's health system achieves good outcomes, it is marked by high costs and inefficiency in comparison to other countries.