Colm Burke (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for their comprehensive presentations. Gynaecological services in Cork were touched on. Is there any update on that waiting list, as 40% of all the people waiting for those services are on the Cork waiting list. Is there any update on the current status of the waiting times for those services in Cork and the numbers on the waiting list? The witnesses might provide some clarification on that.

On adverse events and support for staff, I come from a legal background and I have found on a number of occasions that there has been a lack of support for staff when an adverse event occurred. Some units are very good in providing that support to staff, but I am not sure if such support is given in every unit. I have even come across cases where an adverse event occurred which subsequently involved an inquest and the staff prepared statements without being given any support in their preparation and were facing into an inquest without have been given any support prior to it. Is there a procedure in place to ensure that staff are getting support not only initially after the adverse event occurred but following on from it and checking back with them to make sure they are able to deal with the issues that arose? The witnesses might comment on that issue.

On the issue of staff leaving the services, there are 19 units around the country, is there any evidence that a higher number of staff are leaving a particular unit or is the number leaving the units similar across the board? Has any analysis been done on that? Is there an interview process in place prior to staff leaving the services to establish the issues they have had to deal with, the reasons they are leaving and whether it is due to a family commitment, because they are leaving the country, the salaries or the stress levels? This also applies to trainee doctors. I recently came across two trainee doctors who had been in the obstetrics and gynaecological area for six years who decided they could not deal with the stress levels and have now decided to go into GP training. Has that issue been examined?

We talked about the 2003 report that was published that dealt with the need for consultants. It identified that there should be 180 consultants by 2012. The number we currently have is 130 to 135. People will be retiring. Have we forecast the number who will be retiring? If we are talking about replacing nine additional posts this year, what number will be retiring? That issue must also be dealt with. That ties in with the number of people training in obstetrics and gynaecology who are on the specialist register or who want to get on to it. Are sufficient numbers coming through the system or will we be seeking to recruit from outside the State to fill any targets we set? Have figures being prepared on the number who are retiring, the number of new jobs we need to create, and the number who are in training?

On the issue of nursing staff, figures were given for the number of staff nurses and we heard that the number had decreased compared to 2016. Are there actual figures for the number of people who are in training and do we know what their intentions are once they complete their training? Has a survey been carried out on that? Is it the case that they intend to leave the country? Do we have any idea what their intentions are, especially the people who will complete their training over the course of the next 12 months? That would give us an idea of nursing staff numbers. I thank the witnesses for dealing with the issues they covered.