Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

At the emergency department taskforce meeting last week we heard from HSE management, as the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO, would have heard at the meeting that it co-chairs, that there was significant buy-in for this plan from health service staff, including its own members around the country. It is important to point that out. Much of what we are asking people to do is a core part of the responsibility to make sure we can deal with increased demand. I do not think it involves protracted negotiations with the unions. I do not think planning for the winter period should involve that. There will be a briefing for the staff panel by the HSE on the overall winter plan this week. Clarifications required will be provided.

I thank the staff who have been involved in formulating these plans in individual hospitals and community healthcare organisations, CHO, and are very much signed up, bought in and invested in these plans. People in our health service work extraordinarily hard. I am very proud of the work they do and it is important that staffing levels in the hospitals, the emergency departments, diagnostics, community and primary care services are sufficient. That is part of proper rostering, which management is paid to do. I have no doubt that is happening at individual sites around the country. The emergency department task force is not an industrial relations forum and I am glad to hear the Deputy make that point. I very much agree with it but there will be a briefing for the staff panel this week. I do not, however, envisage a difficulty in this regard. I do envisage many health care staff working extraordinarily hard over the winter period as they do all year round and I am very grateful to them for that.

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