Mr. Kevin Figgis:

The HSE needs to take a much more positive step in how it engages on this type of data publicly. When one looks at Covid-19, for example, the health surveillance unit published weekly reports. They published weekly reports of incidents relating directly to healthcare workers directly themselves. We will ultimately get this data but only because we wrote and asked for it. As an employer, and again as part of that awareness piece, it needs to educate the public that this is the number of incidents we have had and the type of incidents that have taken place. When one looks at the different categories - for example, in our submission from the National Ambulance Service - aside from direct physical assaults, there was intimidation, threats, physical and sexual harassment and sexual assaults. It is quite incredible to think that people are suffering under these categories. I think the HSE has to be much more proactive in how it publishes this information to inform the public this is going on. If it just collects the data but doed not release it then the public is not aware. That is a major part of the problem.