Ms Phil Ní Sheaghdha:

The HSE has consistently said it will test only where there are outbreaks. There is serial testing in long-term care but there is none in the acute hospital system or in the community outside long-term care. The study undertaken in Tallaght and Galway demonstrates that this means we do not pick up asymptomatic presentation and 34% of the asymptomatic presentation was not picked up. According to that study, this means that people were going to work with Covid-19 but without any symptoms. We have been very critical of that. Our members have sought serial testing. To date, the HSE has been unable to give us a satisfactory answer. It is now saying that antigen testing may be introduced. Again, there is a lot of information around the efficacy and accuracy of antigen testing. We believe that until the vaccine is rolled out completely with both doses, it is imperative that we know the status of healthcare workers when they are at work and this requires a routine testing regime to be in place. We believe this is the role of the Health and Safety Authority. It must look at the staff and the areas with the highest level of infection and where outbreaks continue to occur. We know from staff that the acute hospital system continues to have a very high infection rate.

Evidence suggests that some policies of the HSE such as the derogation for staff who were close contacts to return to work did not assist in reducing infection levels and may have actually increased the infection rate. Those policies must be tested from the point of view of the safety of the worker.

In terms of staffing, I agree with my consultant colleagues on the issue of the two-tier system and I am glad the Deputy raised the issue of student nurses because not only are student nurses going into the eye of the storm, they are not being paid at all. They are on zero salary and this committee must make a stand on this. We met the Minister last evening and he is still standing by the position that that is okay. Frankly-----