Catherine Byrne (Dublin South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their presentations. I recall when I came home with my first baby and the fear and anxiety I felt when the public health nurse first called to my door. It is something most young mothers experienced at the time. When one closed the door after the public health nurse left there was a sigh a relief that one was taking care of one's baby properly and doing all the right things. One felt capable of taking on this new challenge.

I thank the public health nurses. As a public representative I have occasionally had to call upon them for a number of different things in the community. For me, the link is on a daily basis with the people living in the community, not only the children the nurse deals with but all the people in the community and the generational links among families. That is very important. I know people who are having their babies now who still have the same public health nurse their parents had. That is an indication of the commitment of the public health nursing community. A few days ago I spoke to a new mother who had just arrived home from hospital. She spoke about the excellent care she had received within the first three days during the visits from the public health nurse. She was overwhelmed by the fact that somebody took the time to visit her and her new baby.

I was struck by the comment in the presentation that there are no national performance indicator measures. I am not sure what that means but who has the responsibility to do that? How is it done and how is the information collated? That is important. What links do the public health nurses have with women's groups in communities? Are there times when they might visit them or link with them on certain things that happen in communities? That is important as well. Many young mothers who are parents for the first time can be very intimidated by somebody calling to their home, but if there is a link to a community, women's or young parents group they are involved with it could be important.