Mr. John King:

SIPTU has approximately 43,000 members who work in the health service across a multitude of health service settings. We represent a broad range of workers right across the health service, from porters, attendants, kitchen staff and chefs to professional grades such as ambulance and paramedic staff and staff involved in radiography, nursing and midwifery, as well as a significant number of members in the mental health service.

We made a detailed presentation to the committee, which includes the findings from a survey of our membership. I am joined by Ms Michele Monahan, SIPTU honorary vice president, who is also a front-line worker employed in the HSE. Ms Monahan can give direct evidence to the committee on the effect of the crisis on healthcare workers. While the submission presents the findings, it also makes a number of key recommendations and we look forward to engaging with the committee on them today. They include a comprehensive review on the effects of the totality of the impact of the crisis on healthcare workers affected, but also on the staff who were not affected but were left working in that pressurised environment.

We also believe significant learning is needed on some of the policies and decisions taken to ensure we do not end up in this situation again. I refer, for example, to the decanting of acute patients into nursing homes.