Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

There are two points I will make in response. First, we are cognisant of the vacancies, particularly in specific areas. The Minister of State, Deputy Butler, spends a lot of time on, for example, child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS. It has been a significant challenge to hire into CAMHS and into the progressing disability services for children and young people programme. Some areas are doing well, such as enhanced community care, that is, the new primary care teams, but there are issues. Some of them relate to the global shortage of healthcare professionals, while others relate to the consultant contract, for example, not being fit for purpose. Moreover, some of them relate to a non-consultant hospital doctor, NCHD, work-life balance that is simply not sustainable-----