Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I, too, welcome everyone to the meeting and thank them for being here. It is timely for them to be here the day after the budget announcement in a year when the Government has committed almost €25.5 billion to healthcare and in advance of the detail of a HSE service delivery plan being outlined and agreed. Now is the right time to have this discussion.

It would be helpful for me to ask some questions that the witnesses might regard as obvious, but it is important we get the answers on the record. The State's plans under the neurorehabilitation strategy have not yet been implemented to the extent they need to be. Everyone accepts, and it has been shown in the reports that have been done, that there is a serious deficit. In different parts of the country, dramatically different supports are available to individuals and families. Are the witnesses happy with the strategy? Should it be fully implemented or are there things the State is missing under the strategy, which is now a few years old? Within the strategy, what areas would they like to see prioritised for delivery next year? It would be useful for us to know in order to be able to have a conversation with the relevant Ministers. The Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte, is listening. I think, from my conversations with her, that she has a real interest in this area, but she needs the backup and support from a committee like this one to fight for resources. It would be good if the witnesses could outline in practical terms what priorities they would like us to push for.

I am aware of the document they published just before the budget announcement, which most of us received. It shows the disparity between different parts of the country and where we need to see new infrastructure put in place as well as the therapists and support teams that are needed in those rehabilitation centres to improve community and clinical care.

I thank Mr. Schäler for talking about his personal story as well as the challenges that many families like his face. I would be interested to get his request crystalised about the budget An Saol Foundation needs for next year.

I know An Saol effectively looked at what it has for this year, €600,000, as a reduction. Is €800,000 the figure it needs? Is the organisation a section 39 voluntary organisation? What frustrations does it experience in getting the staff and the skills it needs while competing with section 38 and other State-funded organisations? I am very familiar with the section 38 versus section 39 issue, particularly in relation to hospice care. We spent many years trying to change the status of a number of hospices, such as Marymount Hospice in my own constituency but others as well, regarding their inability to manage budgets while effectively doing the same work as many HSE facilities. Is that the same issue in this sector in terms of the capacity to get the staffing and skills needed and the cost of that? Obviously, that relates to the financial support it gets from the State to be able to do that.

An Saol goes into quite a lot of detail in terms of what it is actually asking for, which is very helpful. The way it is presented to the committee is helpful and it effectively asks us to take a look at it and question the Minister and the Department as to why that approach should or should not be supported. I am interested to know the consistency of that action plan that was outlined to us today in the call for action with the neurorehabilitation strategy that is in place and in need of full implementation. Are we doing what we need to do in a way that is consistent with what is being asked for today or does that plan or strategy need to be adapted further in the context of the pilot project that has been supported and what An Saol want to do beyond that?

I was quite moved by what Mr. Schäler had to say about his experience of the commentary on the approach to people who have been severely impacted by an acquired brain injury or similar. Of course, we have to approach this as a healthcare response where people who are most severely impacted get the most help as opposed to measuring the response on the basis of some other metric. That is an extraordinary thing to say in terms of some of the quotes he has outlined and I understand his deep frustration as a father in responding to that. I hope we can be helpful as a committee but it would be useful for me anyway if some of the questions I have asked are answered.