Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

From my background and previous work, I have a fairly detailed knowledge of PMDS, particularly development aspect of it. There are a number of factors involved. Clearly, it is unfair and unreasonable to expect that staff will participate in PMDS in a situation where many of the failings are the result of understaffing and under-resourcing. It is tough in that environment. It is also extremely hard to do the development section of PMDS when one is under-resourced. If one does not have enough staff to cover one’s roster, one most definitely cannot release staff to get the necessary training.

People are signed up to PMDS via the national wage agreements. There is an element in that which has to be properly resourced, however. There is much work that has to be done in advance of the health service being ready to properly engage. PMDS can be incredibly positive but it is an exercise in finding out the failings of an organisation. An individual cannot be responsible for that. A site or a community health nurse is not responsible for the fact they are operating off a team which is less than 50% of what it should be. If one tries to do PMDS with that individual, it is tough. There items in his or her job description that they just cannot get to do because physically one does not have the time. When one gets to the development aspect of PMDS, it is tough to do that.