Results 741-760 of 1,133,560 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Michael McNamara OR speaker:Maurice Quinlivan OR speaker:James O'Connor OR speaker:Patrick O'Donovan OR speaker:Frank Feighan OR speaker:Jennifer Carroll MacNeill OR speaker:Michael Fitzmaurice OR speaker:Dara Calleary OR speaker:Charlie McConalogue OR speaker:Chris Andrews OR speaker:Chris Andrews8 OR speaker:Bríd Smith OR speaker:James Lawless OR speaker:Chris Andrews6 OR speaker:Joe O'Brien OR speaker:Marian Harkin OR speaker:John Lahart OR speaker:Seán Crowe OR speaker:Martin Browne OR speaker:Paschal Donohoe OR speaker:Cormac Devlin OR speaker:Roderic O'Gorman OR speaker:Ciarán Cannon OR speaker:Joe McHugh OR speaker:Claire Kerrane OR speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív OR speaker:John Brady OR speaker:Simon Harris OR speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív98 OR speaker:Brian Stanley OR speaker:Brendan Howlin OR speaker:Heather Humphreys OR speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív46 OR speaker:Brendan Griffin OR speaker:Neale Richmond OR speaker:Louise O'Reilly OR speaker:Johnny Mythen OR speaker:Dessie Ellis OR speaker:Thomas Gould OR speaker:Micheál Martin)

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues and Challenges relating to Cardiology: Irish Cardiac Society (23 Oct 2024)

Seán Crowe: As part of the health initiative, we met Professor McKeown in Queen’s University Belfast. In the context of our trip to Altnagelvin hospital, there is a link with Donegal. On linkages, I presume our guests would like to see such initiatives rolled out across the island. If patients are living in Cavan they do not want to travel for two hours to get to the nearest hospital. Are there...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues and Challenges relating to Cardiology: Irish Cardiac Society (23 Oct 2024)

Seán Crowe: We are over time but I want to quickly give a little of my own background. My mother died of a massive heart attack. I was a teenager at the time, so it may have gone over my head but I do not remember the family being told to get tested. This was in the mid-1970s. Things have changed since then. We discovered years later that I am a carrier for haemochromatosis. That might have been...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues and Challenges relating to Cardiology: Irish Cardiac Society (23 Oct 2024)

Seán Crowe: A point was made earlier about women not following up with rehabilitation for various reasons, including, I presume, their caring role. Will our guests to outline the importance of rehabilitation after a cardiac event? Reference was made to peer support. For those in that situation who have not followed up on rehabilitation, I ask our guests to explain its importance.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues and Challenges relating to Cardiology: Irish Cardiac Society (23 Oct 2024)

Seán Crowe: There are many issues we could discuss if we had the time. Maybe we can do so at some stage in the future. There will be a new committee and there may be a new Cathaoirleach. Who knows? We really appreciate our guests' input today. I thank the Irish Cardiac Society for its engagement with the committee on the important issues and challenges in relation to cardiology.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in the HSE: Fórsa (23 Oct 2024)

Seán Crowe: The committee will now commence its consideration of staffing levels in the HSE. From Fórsa, I am pleased to welcome Ms Ashley Connolly, Ms Linda Kelly, Ms Clodagh Kavanagh and Mr. Martin Jennings. The witnesses are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that they should not criticise or make charges against any person or entity by name or in such a way as...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in the HSE: Fórsa (23 Oct 2024)

Seán Crowe: There has been growth of 300% and 400% in the number of older people in some of the estates I represent because people are living longer. That view is based on census returns, not made-up figures. Do the witnesses wish to respond to that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in the HSE: Fórsa (23 Oct 2024)

Seán Crowe: I do not think anyone disagrees. The fact is people are living longer, accessing healthcare and staying longer in the system, not because they are bed blockers or anything else but because they need to stay in it for health reasons.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in the HSE: Fórsa (23 Oct 2024)

Seán Crowe: I am conscious that many people are trying to get in to contribute, so I ask that we keep the slots to ten minutes or less if it is possible. I call Deputy Lahart.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in the HSE: Fórsa (23 Oct 2024)

John Lahart: I thank the members of Fórsa for coming in and for the presentation. I have broad sympathy for many of the points made. I just wish to clarify a few things. Robert Watt was quoted. I was here the day he made that presentation. I can understand why the witnesses would select that quote, but he made many other substantial contributions in terms of trying to not curtail costs, and I...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in the HSE: Fórsa (23 Oct 2024)

Seán Crowe: Before the witnesses respond, I ask that we try to avoid mentioning people by name. I am conscious people are not here. They are all big boys and well capable, but we are working to a position where we are conscious people are not here. I do read out at the start of the meeting a note stating people should not be identified. I ask, therefore, that if it is the HSE, the Department of Health...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in the HSE: Fórsa (23 Oct 2024)

John Lahart: I am glad the Cathaoirleach said it. One of the things I would have said, having been a member of this committee for five years, is that while I am not here as an apologist for Bernard Gloster, I found him to be a breath of fresh air to deal with as CEO of the HSE.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in the HSE: Fórsa (23 Oct 2024)

Seán Crowe: I am repeating what I said at the start. Could we try not to identify people? I thank the Deputy.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in the HSE: Fórsa (23 Oct 2024)

John Lahart: That is a question. Fórsa was extremely concerned by reports last week that HSE HR has directed all vacant posts to be switched off on the SAP payroll system. That would alarm me if it is true. Do the witnesses have evidence they can give us?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in the HSE: Fórsa (23 Oct 2024)

John Lahart: We are on the record here. That is what I am concerned about. I would like clarification of exactly what that means. How does the SAP payroll system work? Are vacancies visible? Is that what Ms Connolly is saying?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in the HSE: Fórsa (23 Oct 2024)

John Lahart: To drill down more into that, to whom is that data available?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in the HSE: Fórsa (23 Oct 2024)

John Lahart: If we tabled a parliamentary question about vacancies in the HSE, would that be a place the HSE would go to and where it should be able to see vacancies? Ms Connolly is saying now that that data has been removed.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in the HSE: Fórsa (23 Oct 2024)

John Lahart: I am not arguing with Ms Connolly on this. That is alarming if that is the case because if vacancies existed, they are now not visible as existing, so the system is suggesting there are no vacancies.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in the HSE: Fórsa (23 Oct 2024)

John Lahart: As a member of the committee, though I am not speaking for the committee, I am sure the HSE is watching and if that is true, I am sure the committee wants to hear an account of what that is about. Either the vacancies are visible or they are not. If they are not, why has that happened? The other side of this relates to private contractors. I will let the witnesses come back because I am...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in the HSE: Fórsa (23 Oct 2024)

John Lahart: The policy choice is to say to the HSE that it can employ 6,000 additional people this year, and the HSE employed 8,500, or that it did not have the budget to employ 2,000 additional staff during Covid, but it employed them, so the Government is going to cover that cost. The Department and Government are saying the HSE cannot continue to employ thousands of people over the budgets it has...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in the HSE: Fórsa (23 Oct 2024)

Seán Crowe: We will try to follow up on that data and information, and it is also important that we try to find out the direction of HR at the HSE in respect of vacant posts being switched off on the SAP payroll system. I know the union submitted a freedom of information request but we can try to follow it up formally as a committee as well.