Teresa Costello (Fianna Fail)

I want to touch on a few things quickly. Regarding outsourcing and insourcing, what is the HSE going to do to change the culture regarding overtime? If people are being paid a premium through insourcing, why would they not just do overtime when it is offered to them? How is the HSE going to change that culture?

The witnesses spoke about the ratio of patients returning to hospitals. There is a failure with breast care which I think is systematic, where people would be referred by their GP, go to the breast care clinic, be looked at and be sent away to be brought back for a scan. It is a specific age cohort. I am really worried about it because sometimes people can be waiting for six months before they are called back. I do not understand why they are not being scanned on the day. Eleven years ago, when I was brought in, I was scanned on the day and I do not know what has changed since then. Back then, I was not coming across anybody who was not scanned on that day. It is like they are being triaged two or three times. That is probably a point to look at.

There is a practice in public hospitals, when people have been admitted, where the administration comes and asks them to sign a health insurance form even though they are getting public treatment. I do not understand why that is happening in hospitals. I have experienced it first hand and have asked if the patient is going to be put in a private bed or semi-private bed. They said that, no, there is no semi-private or private bed. I do not understand why that is happening. Obviously somebody is getting charged somewhere if a form is being brought out for somebody to sign. I would like a bit more information about it.

I have a bit of feedback about the administration of waiting list lists. Many people have said to me that they find it irritating that they have been waiting for 18 months and then get letters asking if they still want to come in. They are not getting their appointments so, yes, they do. Some complain that when they feel really sick, it is maybe not convenient for them to go reply, and some may not be computer literate. Maybe there could be a phone call or a follow-up, because they nearly feel forgotten about and that they are being left on the wayside.

I am also interested in the question Deputy Cullinane asked. I would like to hear the witnesses' answer to that too.