Ms Phil Ní Sheaghdha:

Many secured childcare at an additional cost. That cost has been their own. Many have changed their shifts or, with the assistance of family members and partners, come to all sorts of arrangements. There are myriad arrangements. People have made extraordinary efforts to ensure they can go to work. There has been an additional cost to them in terms of personal out-of-pocket expenses in order to make sure they can come to work. That is a significant issue.

The numbers in our survey who cited childcare as a matter of huge stress for them were very high. When school closures were announced during the third wave no provision was made for the largely female workforce that comprises nursing and midwifery. I will ask Ms McGowan to outline the front-line experience.