The HSE National Service Plan 2026 has been published. The plan outlines the health and social care services we will provide nationwide within the allocated budget of €29 billion.
The plan includes:
- a €3.8bn investment for disability services (20% increase on 2025)
- the delivery of 428 community beds and 177 acute beds
- 5 new surgical hubs
- the completion of the National Children’s Hospital Ireland (NCHI)
- a single point of access to disability, mental health and primary care services for children
- expansion of core disability services including residential supports
- more services available in the evenings and on weekends
- setting up the Maternity and Newborn Electronic Health Record system in 4 of the remaining 13 maternity units
- implementing the Shared Care Record in Dublin South East and starting implementation in 2 other regions
Our priorities for 2026
Speaking about our priorities for 2026, HSE Chairman Mr Ciarán Devane said:
“Our priority for 2026 is to improve access to care by making significant improvements to waiting times for both emergency and scheduled care. Part of this will be expanding and strengthening health and social care capacity to meet the increasingly complex needs of a growing, ageing, and diverse population. More, however, will be using our existing resources to best effect, innovating our processes to ensure our colleagues are supported to have the time and resources to continue to deliver great care.”
HSE CEO Bernard Gloster said:
“We enter 2026 with the foundations of organisational reform in place and a clear Government mandate to accelerate improvements in service delivery for the people we serve. The establishment of six Health Regions under Sláintecare and 20 Integrated Health Areas, marks a critical step towards planning and delivering services around the specific needs of local populations leading to better co-ordination of care and improved access to services. This transition to population-focused funding aligns resources with need and empowers Health Regions to deliver integrated, responsive care, with the ultimate goal of achieving better health outcomes. 2026 is the first year and first major step towards the type of resource allocation and the pathway set by the Minister is clear - we must look at all resources existing and new together to achieve the priorities for the people.”
The 2026 National Service Plan focusses on:
- healthy communities
- receiving the right care, in the right place, at the right time
- strong foundations
- disability services
Healthy communities
We aim to improve health and wellbeing and reduce inequalities by:
- focusing on prevention and early intervention to help people live longer, healthier lives
- enhancing screening programmes for cancer, diabetic retinopathy and children’s health, ensuring earlier diagnosis and better treatment results
- protecting public health with continued investment in immunisation and health protection strategies
Receiving the right care, in the right place, at the right time
Care, compassion, trust and learning are the values at the heart of everything we do, in all health and social care settings.
We will make sure people of all ages get the care they need closer to home and without delay by:
- reducing waiting times for planned care
- improving access to health and social care closer to home
- improving access to health services for vulnerable and excluded groups
- improving urgent and emergency care across hospital admission, ED operations, patient flow and discharge
- promoting positive mental health, delivering early interventions and focusing on recovery
- strengthening clinical governance, safeguarding, staff training and quality improvement to ensure safe, compassionate care
- continuing to increase capacity and modernise infrastructure, including digital solutions that support integrated, safe, person-centred care
Disability services
Supporting people with disabilities and their families is still a fundamental commitment for 2026. We will deliver person-centered, integrated and responsive disability support by:
- expanding specialist services, including residential care, day supports, respite and personal assistance
- investing over €3.8 billion to increase capacity and deliver more person-centred supports in line with the Government’s Action Plan for Disability Services 2024-2026 and the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030
- reducing waiting times for assessments, improving access to community-based services, and ensuring dignity and inclusion for everyone
Strong foundations
We will support, retain and grow our workforce to deliver high-quality healthcare to the public by:
- recruiting and developing the skills needed across all health and social care services
- ensuring all funding delivers better access, quality and outcomes for patients and service users
- supporting flexible working patterns and empowering our staff
- protecting and promoting a safe and healthy workplace
- maintaining a year-end Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) limit of 136,606 in 2026
- building a service-wide culture based on our values of care, compassion, trust, and learning
- delivering ICT services and support to facilitate integrated care
- ensuring strong governance, risk management and accountability
- providing clear communication, feedback and engagement with our patients, our staff, public representatives and our partners