Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Dr. Henry for the work that has been done over the last number of months. Hopefully, we will not face the same challenges in three or four months' time that we do now and we will have the vaccine in place.

We spoke about an extra 1,148 acute beds being put in place. I am concerned about the planning for the availability of diagnostic services. We already have a problem in some of the hospitals where there is a delay or it takes longer than normal to get results back from diagnostic services within the hospital system.

It is great to see an additional number of beds available but attention must be paid to the efficient use of them. What plan is in place to make sure additional diagnostic services will also be made available within the hospitals? For instance, will those diagnostic services be available on Saturdays and Sundays so there is extra capacity to deal with the additional beds in the hospital?

The second issue is totally different and concerns the availability of people for home care at weekends. I receive quite a number of complaints from people who are provided with home care during the week but have difficulty in the availability of home care at weekends in certain areas of the country. What mechanisms have been put in place to make sure all those who require home care can access it during the weekends? There will be huge challenges, in particular, coming up to the Christmas period. What planning has been done to make sure adequate home care is provided throughout the Christmas period?

The other issue that comes up is the number of home care workers who are still leaving nursing homes and leaving the private sector. That creates its own vacuum. Many more home care providers need to be made available. What is the HSE doing to encourage people to get involved in home care and be available to provide this service?

I will conclude by asking about people who are waiting for cataract surgery in County Cork. As I understand it, once a person gets on the list for the cataract procedure there is no delay. The problem is getting on the list for the procedure and the delay in appointments to see patients. In view of the fact that buses are still going to Northern Ireland for cataract procedures under the treatment abroad fund, even during the lockdown, should priority be given to making appointments for people to be assessed, put on the list and then dealt with? For instance, a total of 133 people are on the waiting list at South Infirmary-Victoria University Hospital, 90 of whom have been waiting three months. The rest of them have been waiting slightly longer than three months. The reason they are not on the waiting list is they have not been seen to be assessed. Can something be done on that issue?