Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

There are two bits to my final question, although they are not necessarily related. It might be more of a question where the HSE might come back to the committee. There is a fundamental difference in views as to what is going on with nurses not being hired. I have heard the HSE statement and the caveat that there is no embargo in place but there may be conditions where financial plans have not been sanctioned and therefore hospitals do not have permission to hire those personnel. Will the HSE or the Department, whichever is the correct group, come back to the committee with a detailed explanation of what is going on? There are 82 people sitting on trolleys in Limerick as we speak, but the nurses seeking jobs there have been told an embargo is in place. Will the witnesses come back to the committee with a realistic picture of what is going on? Which hospitals are actively hiring and which have been told that, for various reasons, they cannot currently hire those personnel?

As I stated, there are 82 people waiting on trolleys in Limerick as we speak, and although some will get beds today, more people will walk into the hospital throughout the day and tonight. There are measures that could be taken today as opposed to long-term strategic and infrastructural capacity-building measures. Home care package numbers could be increased as an emergency measure and there could be a pause on some non-urgent elective care. More supports could be given to GPs very quickly so that patients who do not need to come into accident and emergency departments would not do so. The nursing vacancies could be filled very quickly. We know the numbers throughout the country for people waiting on trolleys is bad, but at 82, does the number for Limerick signify that this a crisis? Could emergency measures therefore be taken so the people in Limerick could see some improvement right away?