Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 16 October 2024

Select Committee on Health

Estimates for Public Services 2024
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary)

9:30 am

Photo of Róisín ShortallRóisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats)
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It would be important to organise that. I will go back to the issue of nursing numbers. I am thinking specifically about community and public health nurses, who are vital, whether it is for older people, infants or others. There are major shortages there in terms of unfilled posts. Is anything being done to address that issue? Is anything being done to take it out of the rest of nursing and give priority to it, given its importance in the context of developmental tests and various checks which are not taking place at the moment? The other day I heard that parents in some areas are being told how to do the developmental checks themselves. In terms of prevention and early intervention, that just does not make any sense whatsoever.