Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

In the first instance, the issue being raised with me by nurses and midwives is the full implementation of what was agreed after the strike last year. I joined them on the picket lines and I have no doubt the Deputy joined them on the picket lines as well. We need to look at that first and foremost. I want to be careful about how I say this. I was going to say the primary concern of the nurses and midwives I spoke to on the picket lines was not pay. I do not mean to say they were not interested in their pay but I mean that their real passion was the quality of care. On the picket lines they talked to me about safe staffing levels. I do not mean to diminish the pay aspect in any way but it is to their great credit that they were not going out on strike primarily looking for pay increases. Rather, they were talking about patient care. We have to address both of those issues in the first instance. Both of those issues have been agreed to. We agreed to implement the safe staffing levels and to fully implement the agreement that was put in place.

Further to that, it is definitely worth taking a look at what options are there. The Deputy has raised the issue of hazard pay and other Deputies have raised the issue of returning leave that had to be taken to mind children. Other Deputies have raised other issues and the INMO and nurses and midwives themselves have raised other issues. We need to recognise the work that has been done. Over the coming weeks, we will think about how we will equip the system and support our healthcare professionals for the rest of the year. We have a group of people who have stood up and served to an extraordinary level, many of whom are very tired and we need to take a look at that in the coming weeks, along with many of the issues that were raised here today.

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