Public hospitals: faced with the return of the "efficiency" discourse, the fear of new savings

Efficiency, efficiency, efficiency... The familiar theme of hospitals is once again ringing out at the head of state, and it's causing concern among hospital staff. There's no longer any doubt, the mood has changed. Emerging from the Covid-19 health crisis and the "whatever it takes" approach, public authorities promised to put budgetary constraints, with bed closures being the most visible aspect, behind closed doors. Is the page turning?

As the budgetary horizon tightens and the executive is looking for savings in all directions, the fear of a return to old revenues is growing stronger, even before the opening of the debates on the Social Security financing bill for 2026. It must be said that the signals are multiplying, according to those in charge of establishments.

A budget circular sent by Prime Minister François Bayrou to the directors of regional health agencies has not gone unnoticed. In this letter, dated April 23, the message is clear: it is time to "relaunch an efficiency and performance approach" in healthcare establishments. The deficit in public hospitals has "significantly worsened since 2019," he emphasizes. It is expected to reach 3 billion euros in 2024, according to provisional estimates from the Court of Auditors published on May 26 (compared to 1.9 billion in 2023 or 0.7 billion in 2019). This is unprecedented, which, according to magistrates, calls for "efficiency measures."

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