Seán Kyne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Mr. Reid and the team for their statement, and I acknowledge the work and effort of the many healthcare professionals all year round each year, as well as the high level of care and the positive experiences people have in the health system in general. There are always long-term challenges and some seemingly ever-present ones. Then there are sudden ones such as Covid-19. The winter planning is usually based on the previous winter, and the first couple of weeks of January are always the pinch point. What in particular will be done this year as opposed to other years?

There are 33,000 extra procedures promised. What is the role of private hospitals there? There was some concern about the previous agreement, but the agreement with private hospitals earlier in the year definitely saved lives. The most important criterion in respect of healthcare is the number of lives saved. I welcome the 33,000 procedures that have been identified. Is it ambitious? What impact has Covid-19 had on the screening programmes? Have the greatly reduced numbers of procedures been factored into these figures? Regarding the opening and operating hours of clinics, such as endoscopy clinics, if they could be increased from nine to 12 or even 15 hours, serious inroads could be made into waiting lists. Is that factored in here as well?

In primary care, there is an allocation which is a new feature of the winter plan. Mr. Reid referred to community assessment hubs. Where are these to be located or is that identified? What are the criteria for deciding these and what will be the role of GPs and the buy-in of GPs in these areas, because there has been concern about primary care centres? I note the report this morning of concern that there will be shortages in flu vaccines. GPs say there will not be enough vaccines for high-risk categories of patients. Perhaps Mr. Reid will clarify the current status of flu vaccine stocks.

Finally, with regard to additional capacity, obviously this will be dependent on recruitment. There are commitments, but are the numbers of nurses available? Are nurses and staff available to provide that additional capacity? It is dependent on recruitment and, in some cases, on physical infrastructure. Unfortunately, the experience in Galway on certain issues, such as the theatres in Merlin Park which had a leaking roof for three years and the unbearable delays in planning permission being lodged for a new emergency department, would question the ability to deliver such projects. It is frustrating that when a not-fit-for-purpose structure for the emergency department in Galway is identified there are delays in that regard. I have concerns about that.

Again, I thank the team and look forward to the replies.