Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Wednesday, 14 June 2023
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health
Implementation of Sláintecare Reforms: Department of Health and HSE (Resumed)
Neasa Hourigan (Dublin Central, Green Party)
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Finally, because I have only a minute left, I will move on to retention of staff issues. In the last section, Mr. Gloster talked a little about a joined-up or more robust workforce planning role, reporting in September. Has the issue of housing come up? I am from a constituency, Dublin Central, where there is a significant issue in that healthcare facilities are looking at what equates to semi-permanent or long-stay places where people can stay, particularly people coming into the country, for 12 to 18 months. This is often because medical staff have to rotate to different facilities. It strikes me as similar to a university that provides housing for lecturers. It seems that by not being proactive on this we are to some extent possibly leaving those hospital groups at the mercy of vulture funds unless we step in. There might be good work to be done in regard to providing that kind of programme, whether it be short-term housing or some kind of outreach or top-up for investment on land they have available. Has anybody thought of that? Is that on the agenda for the Department or the HSE?