Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Mark Molloy, Mrs. Roisín Molloy, Mr. Ollie Kelly, Ms Amy Delahunt and Ms Sheila O'Connor for their presentations. I know that matters have not been easy for our guests and that the past three and a half years have been tough. I hope the fact that they have managed to reach this point means that a great deal will be achieved in ensuring change.

I wish to put a question to Ms O'Connor of Patient Focus in respect of the reference on page 71 of HIQA's report to a 2006 review of the maternity department at Portlaoise hospital, which identified the need to appoint more midwives and clinical midwifery managers. This recommendation was not acted on until 2014. Given her experience of dealing with patient complaints, does Ms O'Connor find that understaffing and the use of locum and agency staff are contributory factors in many of the issues affecting the health service? I accept that I am moving slightly away from the matter under discussion, but eight years passed until there was a reaction in respect of the 2006 review. Are difficulties arising because too many locum and agency staff are being employed and as a result of the fact that not enough is being done to plan for the appointment of sufficient numbers of permanent staff?

Ms O'Connor referred briefly to the voluntary hospital sector. Does she find that a clear line seems to have been drawn between management within the HSE and medical and nursing staff in trying to deal with and manage complaints? There are certain people who seem to be prevented from dealing with complaints and actually should be on the front line in this regard. As a result of their absence from the process, inadequate explanations are being given. This would not be the case if all of those involved worked together and if a line such as that to which I refer had not been drawn between them. Will Ms O'Connor indicate whether there are differences when it comes to dealing with complaints relating to HSE hospitals and those involving voluntary hospitals? There is a master in each of the three maternity hospitals in Dublin and, in real terms, the buck stops with these individuals. Is there a significant difference between the HSE and the main maternity hospitals in Dublin?

The report before the committee highlights the problem of understaffing. During the past three to four years I have consistently referred - I apologise for doing so again - to the Hanly report of 2003, which clearly set out that there should have been 190 obstetricians and gynaecologists in the health service by 2012. On paper and according to the HSE there are 133 such professionals operating within the health service. In fact, there are only 104 whole-time equivalents. Is Ms O'Connor of the view that there is a need to expand the role of nursing staff and midwives and appoint more consultants rather than relying on the services of junior doctors?