Results 1-20 of 1,057,379 for in 'Dáil debates' OR (speaker:Mick Barry OR speaker:Frank O'Rourke OR speaker:Seán Kyne OR speaker:Maurice Quinlivan OR speaker:James Lawless OR speaker:Fergus O'Dowd OR speaker:David Cullinane) in 'Committee meetings'
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in HSE: Discussion (2 Oct 2024)
Seán Kyne: Cuirim fáilte roimh na hionadaithe ó SIPTU agus an INMO. First, on the statements, Mr. Ginley said that the "health service workforce has responsibilities outside of the workplace". Will he clarify what he means by that? He noted that we are down 84 WTEs in home care support assistants. He said that additional announcements regarding home care hours are made without the HSE...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in HSE: Discussion (2 Oct 2024)
Seán Kyne: In a lot of cases the hours are sanctioned and funded, but the issue is finding staff.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in HSE: Discussion (2 Oct 2024)
Seán Kyne: In case there is any doubt, I acknowledge from personal experience the hugely important role of home helps and HCSAs. Ms Ní Sheaghdha said that, in effect, we have seen an increase of 500 in WTEs. To what period does she refer in that regard?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in HSE: Discussion (2 Oct 2024)
Seán Kyne: Ms Ní Sheaghdha acknowledges in her statement that there has been an increase in the number of nurses and midwives. She explains that the number got back to 39,000 in mid-2019. According to the HSE, the increase is plus 9,300 to 47,584.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in HSE: Discussion (2 Oct 2024)
Seán Kyne: Ms Ní Sheaghdha-----
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in HSE: Discussion (2 Oct 2024)
Seán Kyne: The OECD talks about Ireland having the second highest number of nurses among EU countries. I know the INMO disputes that. Was it based on the same analysis Ms Ní Sheaghdha just highlighted?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in HSE: Discussion (2 Oct 2024)
Seán Kyne: Ms Ní Sheaghdha stated that we need a fund-----
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in HSE: Discussion (2 Oct 2024)
Seán Kyne: Okay.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in HSE: Discussion (2 Oct 2024)
David Cullinane: I welcome all the witnesses. There is a lot of smoke and mirrors in relation to the pay and numbers strategy and the embargo that we just had for the best part of a year, including what we call it. We call it a recruitment embargo and the HSE wants to call it a temporary freeze. We have had all this messing for the best part of a year. What we can say for a fact is that there has been a...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in HSE: Discussion (2 Oct 2024)
David Cullinane: Okay, I have that point-----
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in HSE: Discussion (2 Oct 2024)
David Cullinane: I have that point, and it is a valid point. I want to come back to the central point that has been made by all of the witnesses here, which is the suppressing of posts. I am looking at Ms Ní Sheaghdha's own opening statement. Some 2,000 nursing and midwifery posts have effectively been abolished. For listeners, people watching and those worried about what is happening in hospitals,...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in HSE: Discussion (2 Oct 2024)
David Cullinane: I just want to be clear on the numbers. When Ms Ní Sheaghdha says 2,000 nursing and midwifery posts have effectively been abolished, were they posts advertised and funded by the HSE, or are they posts where line managers would have identified a need?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in HSE: Discussion (2 Oct 2024)
David Cullinane: Okay. I want to come on to SIPTU with regard to other non-nursing grades. Does SIPTU have a number as to how many of those grades would have been abolished, in effect, as well?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in HSE: Discussion (2 Oct 2024)
David Cullinane: What I am seeing from Mr. Ginley's opening statement is that the HSE refused to share data with any union as to how many funded and approved vacancies have been suppressed. Mr. Ginley is looking for that information but has not been given it.
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in HSE: Discussion (2 Oct 2024)
David Cullinane: I want to offer the remaining time I have to Ms Kelleher who is, we are told, a radiation therapist. Ms Kelleher might be able to give us a sense - Mr. Ginley spoke in his opening statement about equipment not being utilised and the shortage of radiation therapists - of what effect the embargo has had on her grade and on the service that her professionals and colleagues provide. I will give...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in HSE: Discussion (2 Oct 2024)
David Cullinane: Through the Chair, I ask that if the unions are telling us they have sought data and they have not got it, maybe we can use our own offices here to request that information from the HSE regarding suppressed posts, unfilled posts and all of the information that the unions have not got. There has not been any engagement. What the witnesses are telling us is that unilateral decisions were made...
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in HSE: Discussion (2 Oct 2024)
Seán Kyne: Could Ms Kelleher state whether there has been an increase in the number of radiation therapist places in recent years? Have new college places come on stream?
- Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Staffing Levels in HSE: Discussion (2 Oct 2024)
Seán Kyne: So there are 30 places in Trinity and 12 in UCC. Are the 30 filled in Trinity?