Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

Services cannot be provided without staffing. We constantly hear about difficulty recruiting, which is mentioned in the HSE document. The Taoiseach stated in response to parliamentary questions that there is not a resourcing issue but that it is a management and recruitment issue. I am reading the document the witnesses provided. There is monthly reporting of staffing. They would have had knowledge of an issue well in advance. I imagine a mental health service is a highly stressful environment to work in when under-resourced. The national service plan bases its estimate on 10,000 staff for 2022, yet the HSE resourcing plan sets a target of 5,500. Do the witnesses comprehend why people would see those as fake targets? I know there are challenges with recruitment. They do not receive the service that they expect to receive.