Annie Hoey (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the witnesses for being here and for all the work that they and their colleagues are having to do at this difficult time. I have been in this job for less than a year, and I am already becoming weary of the constant conversations about how the system was not able to deal with things before the onset of Covid-19. Given the way things are now, and considering I am already weary of it, I can only imagine how utterly wearying and draining it is to be working in the system.

I cannot get over the stark situation regarding the low numbers of staff and their low morale. As everyone has remarked, the information we have and which we are discussing is all from before Covid-19 struck. We now have this explosion of chaos, if I can put it so delicately. Not only were the numbers short before this, we now have appalling treatment, if I could be so bold as to put it that way, of the staff in the system. We have as a result the double whammy of trying to keep people in the system, while also trying to recruit people into the same system. Arguably, people would have to be mad to come into a system like this one. It seems incredibly bleak. I commend wholeheartedly, therefore, all the work being done by staff.

It is fair to say that the conditions in which work is being undertaken by these staff include being overworked, underpaid, stressed and burnt out in respect of mental health. In respect of several articles and studies having been published on this aspect, I also think it is fair to say that many people will exit the system at the other side of this crisis. People here have referred to that prospect already. We not only have a problem, therefore, with getting people into a system which is already drastically understaffed, but we are also going to have people scarpering out the door as soon as it is reasonably safe to do so. I think that would be a fair enough assessment.

Is the answer to addressing this situation an extremely aggressive recruitment strategy, involving elements such as pay parity and improvements in conditions? It seems to me that the solution on paper is quite simple, namely, better conditions, better pay and getting going pretty lively in recruiting people into the system before other people head out the door when it is safe to travel again. How do we get all of that happening, though? It seems these committees have Ms Ní Sheaghdha coming in repeatedly to lay out the details of these bleak situations, but we are not moving anywhere in addressing them. We are not going anywhere with getting solutions to these problems. I do not know what to do as a public representative in order to bring these solutions about. I am at my wits' end, and I am only here a few months. What is it that needs to happen?

Turning to the issue of student nurses, which is my favourite topic to talk about, some 93% of student nurses in 2014 said that they were considering emigrating. I would not be surprised if 100% of student nurses were now considering emigrating. Again, here we have another problem coming down the line. It seems that we are constantly talking about this problem coming down the line, but that we have already jumped over it because we have now been landed with Covid-19. I am so flabbergasted as to how we are supposed to deal with this issue.

I am astonished by the patience of those presenting today and their ability to keep their decorum, as it were, when this situation is so ridiculous. Many here have spoken about student nurses. The Labour Party has published a Bill to pay student nurses and midwives. I am really excited to see the appearance of the cross-party support that would be needed to get it over the line. It seems to me that everyone nods and agrees that student nurses need to be paid and the situation is not good enough, but people are not willing to put their money where their mouths are and support changes in the legislation to do that.

Those are observations that Dr. Colleran or Ms Ní Sheaghdha might respond to.