Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)

The staff at Tralee General Hospital must be complimented on their dedication and commitment to patients over the years. The staff possibly do not face the same problems as staff at hospitals in urban areas. The main issue in Tralee Hospital is the safety of patients. The report by the Health and Safety Authority refers to the safety of patients in a number of sections and it clearly states that senior medical coverage is essential for a 24-hour, seven-day week. This finding was also confirmed by the Cavan report some years ago on the death of Frances Sheridan. In Kerry General Hospital, senior medical coverage is only provided for eight hours a day, five days a week. There is neither a consultant nor a registrar present. Many people, including I think the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children, believe the problem can be solved with the current ceiling of staffing. It might be the case in the bigger teaching hospitals but it is not the case in Kerry General Hospital. There must be a basic staffing requirement to ensure patient safety. A junior doctor, for example, who requires a second opinion must receive it from a senior medical officer immediately; there is no point in telephoning someone.

I understand that Kerry General Hospital has written directly to the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children highlighting its basic needs but has received no response. I ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children to increase accident and emergency medical staff numbers to a safe level. Seven HSOs and three registrars is not an unreasonable figure upon reflection as this is the medical staffing level in similarly sized units around the country. There needs to be an increase in nursing numbers in Tralee General Hospital to reflect the continued demand on accident and emergency departments. While the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children was given a warm welcome in Kerry last week and I was delighted to be present when she opened the new nursing units, it was unfortunate that she did not visit the accident and emergency department to see for herself the circumstances that both nurses and patients have to endure.

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