Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Boyd Barrett raised issues in terms of health. He stated that there has been a chronic lack of resourcing and referred to difficulties recruiting. The Deputy said that nobody wants to work in the service. There are 132,000 people working in the service. Since 2022, there has been record recruitment to the health service of 12,500 net and 32,000 gross. It must be remembered that there are people leaving at different times due to retirement, etc. In order to stand still, the HSE has to recruit 9,500 staff each year. It is not true to say that nobody wants to work in the health service. The numbers are increasing every year. That is the right way to do it. The service is vast.

Likewise, the level of investment has gone up significantly. It increased by billions of euro in the past number of years, particularly in the past two years, in terms of significant funding gone into the base of the HSE to provide additional services. Reforms are happening also in respect of primary care and community care. Home care packages have gone up by 2.7 million hours. Some 55,000 families are now being provided with home care packages. That is a dramatic increase from previous years. The Deputies should acknowledge that.

There are challenges and there are pressures, particularly in emergency departments, which are a legacy of emerging from Covid - delayed diagnosis, people not presenting during Covid, elective care being cancelled during Covid and diagnostics being cancelled. Unfortunately, all that will have an impact over the next 12 months. What clinicians are saying is that over 75-year-olds who are presenting are more ill than would have been the case prior to Covid. These are challenges we have to deal with.

Clinicians are responsible for treatment in terms of prescribing. That much is clear. Where there are junior doctors in position, there should be proper clinical oversight in respect of that. That was not the case from the evidence presented by the independent review of south Kerry CAMHS. Fundamentally, clinicians have their chain of accountability too in terms of the Medical Council and they are responsible for the prescription policy and the treatment of individuals. Every individual is different, and every case can be different.

Deputy Paul Murphy raised Covid-19 and the hospitalisation of zero to four-year olds. I spoke to the Chief Medical Officer this morning. He is very clear that as far as he is concerned, there has been a stabilisation overall in terms of hospitalisation. We did not specifically discuss children. He said the conversion is not there at the moment to ICUs or more generally in terms of hospitalisation. We are basically where NPHET was hoping to be when we lifted restrictions some weeks ago. The CMO is reasonably satisfied with the continuing progress we are making in regard to Covid-19. That will inform NPHET's decisions in terms of advice that it will give to the Government in respect of mask-wearing more generally and in schools.

I would draw a distinction between public health guidance and advice, and that which is mandatory. That is an important point. What has to be assessed is whether there is justification for a legal, mandatory framework, which makes it a legal requirement to wear masks. That is an issue on which NPHET will advise the Government in the coming days. The Government will take decisions based on that. That is the up-to-date position I have received from the Chief Medical Officer. I will revert to him on the inquiry in respect of children and ask what the position is, as outlined by Deputy Paul Murphy.

In response to Deputy Kelly's points, a new plan will be announced on waiting lists. The short-term plan prior to Christmas had an impact. It brought down the list by about 6% and then Omicron had its impact in terms of December and January. It is both a plan for 2022 and a multi-annual plan. Some €350 million is being provided this year in respect of the plan. The HSE will be funded to recruit as many staff as it possibly can. The indications are that it would be realistic to definitely be able to net 5,500 staff for 2022. If the HSE can do more, it will be provided with funding to do more.

I take Deputy Kelly's point on HPV screening and vaccination. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan raised HPV vaccination for young people with me yesterday. We are following that up to make sure it is as comprehensive as it can be. That is a very important piece of work.

Deputy Barry raised the issue of consultation, which I have dealt with. There has been consultation right through in respect of Covid-19 and schools. The Minister for Education has always taken public health advice on board in respect of schools. She has been very consistent on that principle and will follow that. She has always engaged with stakeholders in respect of school policies around Covid. As we saw this morning, we have different perspectives in the House on the issue.

Deputy McDonald spoke about the rehabilitation unit in the Phoenix Park that is closed. I will engage with the HSE in regard to that but, again, I do not get involved in operational decisions that the HSE takes in respect of particular facilities. I presume she has raised the issue with the HSE, and it has stated reasons for doing what it is doing but I will raise the fact that it was raised in the Dáil by the Deputy.

See this speech in context