Results 101-120 of 1,108,938 for in 'Dáil debates' OR in 'Committee meetings' (speaker:Tom Kitt OR speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív OR speaker:Martin Kenny OR speaker:Michael McNamara OR speaker:Danny Healy-Rae OR speaker:Neale Richmond OR speaker:Éamon Ó Cuív5 OR speaker:Aodhán Ó Ríordáin OR speaker:Thomas Byrne OR speaker:Paul Murphy OR speaker:Cathal Crowe OR speaker:Bríd Smith OR speaker:Pippa Hackett OR speaker:Christopher O'Sullivan OR speaker:John Lahart OR speaker:Anne Rabbitte OR speaker:David Cullinane OR speaker:John Brady OR speaker:James Lawless OR speaker:Paul McAuliffe OR speaker:Patricia Ryan OR speaker:Niamh Smyth OR speaker:Thomas Byrne1 OR speaker:Rose Conway-Walsh OR speaker:Marc Ó Cathasaigh OR speaker:Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire OR speaker:Gerald Nash OR speaker:Catherine Martin OR speaker:Marc MacSharry)

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues relating to University Hospital Limerick: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: He may have landed on the ground but we are here as an Oireachtas health committee to look at very serious problems, and of course the progress, in the mid-west region. Ms Kenna, Ms Conroy, and Ms Broderick are here. He should be here. The Minister also said in his opening statement that there was a new regional clinical director, Dr. Catherine Peters. Is she here?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues relating to University Hospital Limerick: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: With respect to the Minister, we arranged this meeting to discuss the mid-west region. Therefore, I would have expected the managers who are on the ground managing what is happening to be here to hear what we have to say but also to answer questions we might have. The Minister can answer some questions; I am sure others can as well. I am just making that point. I will move on from it.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues relating to University Hospital Limerick: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: I will come to Ms Broderick now with my second question. I thank the Minister. When we triage patients in the health services generally, we use what is called the Manchester triage categories. My understanding is that there are five categories, 1 to 5, with 1 being the most urgent and 5 the least urgent. My understanding is that categories 1, 2, 3 are the main ones. Patients in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues relating to University Hospital Limerick: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: So triaging by its nature is to separate those who should be there as opposed to those who may be able to be referred elsewhere. Typically, categories 4 and 5 patients could be and are probably referred elsewhere but categories 1, 2 and 3 patients would be seen in emergency departments. Is that----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues relating to University Hospital Limerick: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: I have that. Rather than getting into a row on which numbers are correct, whether it is the INMO numbers or those of the HSE, the figure at this point does not really matter to me but we know there was a high volume of patients on trolleys in Limerick again this and last week. Are those people who were on trolleys categories 1, 2 and 3 patients?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues relating to University Hospital Limerick: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: That they would be.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues relating to University Hospital Limerick: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: That is my point. Yet, here we are with high numbers again in Limerick compared to other regions. I make that point to come to the issue of how we move forward. I recognise the additional capacity mentioned by the Minister earlier. I recognise all the other outpatient work, the people who are treated or are seen and procedures which are carried out which do not get noticed or talked about...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues relating to University Hospital Limerick: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: I will add to that because I did my own calculations on this and, as the Minister knows, I published a plan for the mid-west a number of months ago where I set out what I felt was needed, including a review, in advance of the review being put in place. As I said, I welcome the review. Does the Minister know what the population of the mid-west is?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues relating to University Hospital Limerick: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: What I am hearing from the Minister is a redeployment of certain posts. This is being covered in the media and I have a responsibility to provide factual information when I am asked, which I want to provide. There are families out there who have suffered because of problems in the hospital. I am not apportioning blame but it is difficult for them to read that there was a small group...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues relating to University Hospital Limerick: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Cathal Crowe: I welcome the Minister and his team. The Minister has long heard me say that the 2009 decision to close 24-hour accident and emergency care in Ennis, Nenagh and St.John's was absolutely woeful for the mid-west region in which I live, and for County Clare, which I represent. It was absolutely woeful and has led to really poor health outcomes for many people, including death for some...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues relating to University Hospital Limerick: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Cathal Crowe: Her death was "almost certainly avoidable". My apologies.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues relating to University Hospital Limerick: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Cathal Crowe: I might jump in there, if I may. The clock is against me.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues relating to University Hospital Limerick: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Cathal Crowe: I thank the Minister. It is no secret that an election is close. My worry is that when we get into that cycle and the formation of government that comes after it, the body politic will potentially get stretched out for four or five months, which would do no good to this process. I would love if the Minister and his officials could expedite the ask of the Johnston family to initiate a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues relating to University Hospital Limerick: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Cathal Crowe: No. None of this is personal. This is about the functioning of the hospital.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues relating to University Hospital Limerick: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Cathal Crowe: That is a positive development. I will follow the lines of Deputy Cullinane's questioning, and I will be careful. He has asked most of the questions. While the Minister responded, I was struck by the fact that his counterpart, the Minister, Deputy McEntee, and her Department also have people on administrative leave in An Garda Síochána, but they do not move sideways or get...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues relating to University Hospital Limerick: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Cathal Crowe: I hear the Minister but-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues relating to University Hospital Limerick: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Cathal Crowe: I fully hear the Minister, but there is no garda on administrative leave being promoted to the rank of chief superintendent, so the whole thing does not make sense. However, I hear the Minister. I know Ministers do not get involved in HR areas like this, but someone needs to advise on this and slow it all down. A process is under way and we must allow it space. We cannot prejudice the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues relating to University Hospital Limerick: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

Cathal Crowe: I will hopefully come back in later, but will ask the Minister a final question. I have long been speaking about Ennis General Hospital and elective surgeries being suspended there for ten weeks. Surgery took place on perhaps four days in ten weeks. The theatre nurses, who are highly skilled, were redeployed to other functions in general medical wards. This is not personal, but the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues relating to University Hospital Limerick: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: Is he here?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Issues relating to University Hospital Limerick: Discussion (10 Oct 2024)

David Cullinane: It depends on how you look at it but it is somewhere between 400,000 and 500,000 people. It is a minimum of 400,000 up to 500,000, depending on the catchment area. If the mid-west region had two emergency departments, it would mean the population per emergency department would be 200,000. If we take, for example, the south west, it has four emergency departments with one emergency...