The Irish health services faces a ‘very difficult year' in 2015, frontline staff have warned.

Doctors and nurses were responding to the publication of the HSE's 2015 National Service Plan (NSP) on Thursday. While the funding allocated to the HSE for this period includes an additional €625 million - a 5.4% increase - this figure includes the 2014 deficit of €510 million, meaning that the net increase for next year will be just €115 million.

Meanwhile, the HSE must also achieve a minimum savings target of €130 million and a minimum increased revenue target of €10 million next year.

At the launch of the plan, HSE director general, Tony O'Brien, admitted that the additional funding would support the HSE in maintaining existing levels of service, but would not be sufficient to ‘fully address the increasing demands being placed on our hospital system, in particular the growing waiting lists for elective admissions'.

According to Prof Trevor Duffy, president of the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO), which represents doctors in Ireland, the plan has ‘literally no margin for additional demand' and will at best ‘maintain current overstretched services at current unacceptable levels'.

He insisted that the plan offers no security or comfort to patients who already face long waits to see a doctor or have a procedure carried out. He also insisted that healthcare professionals who were considering emigration will probably continue on that path.

"Our overworked healthcare professionals will be asked to continue to work unreasonable hours, under intolerable pressure in a thankless environment. That will only encourage more young professionals to consider emigration and that will, in turn, lead to greater reliance on agency staff. It's a vicious cycle which only brave decisions and realistic funding will address," Prof Duffy added.

Meanwhile, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), while welcoming the small increase in funding, said that it is ‘quite clear' that the 2015 NSP will not address the major problems that have dogged the health service throughout 2014, such as overcrowding in Emergency Departments and extended waiting times for treatment.

According to INMO general secretary, Liam Doran, while this plan is more ‘focused and realistic, it simply provides for an overstretched, overworked and under-resourced health service to continue managing crises every day'.

Also commenting on the plan, the National Association of General Practitioners (NAGP) has described the amount of funding set aside for free GP care for children aged five and under and the over-70s as ‘delusional and unrealistic'.

According to the NSP, €25 million has been set aside for this, however the NAGP believes this is ‘grossly insufficient'.

"When the over-70s scheme was first introduced, an allocation of €19 million was provided. Within four months, the estimate cost of the scheme ballooned to more than €50 million. In light of the increasing numbers of people who now fall into the over-70s category and the Government objective to have chronic diseases managed in primary care, to turn around and set a budget of just €12 million makes no sense," commented NAGP CEO, Chris Goodey.

He also pointed out that as it is not yet known what will be included in the delivery of free GP care to children aged five and under, ‘it is disconcerting to see that a cap has been set on this funding before the details of the scheme have been discussed with GPs'.

"It is an arbitrary figure which relates more to the available finances of the HSE rather than the true cost of providing care," Mr Goodey added.