Cathal Berry (Kildare South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I wish the Taoiseach a good afternoon.

It is appropriate that we focus on healthcare reform for the day that is in it. There can be no better way of honouring the memory of Vicky Phelan than to focus on and accomplish what she was advocating for, namely, healthcare reform. We want to fix our broken health service to minimise errors and maximise excellence in all its forms. As the Taoiseach and colleagues are aware, I am not interested in HSE bashing in any shape or form. On the contrary, I recognise there are small pockets of excellence all over the health service in every hospital and primary care centre. Our job as legislators is to support these people so we can build on their success. The problems in the health service can be fixed by the good things in the health service, but only if we get our people right. I have three people-related questions for the Taoiseach. People are everything. They are the ultimate precondition to success. If we get our people right, problems melt away, and if we get them wrong, we are chasing our tail for the rest of our days.

The position of chief executive of the HSE has been vacant for some time now since Paul Reid retired or resigned. Where are we with his replacement? Are we likely to get a replacement before Christmas? It is very important we have the corporate governance and accountability in place. We also have 900 consultant vacancies, almost a fifth of the consultant workforce throughout the country. Some positions are unfilled, partially filled or filled by locums. It is very disruptive to the health service. Negotiations on the consultants' contract are ongoing. Are we likely to get agreement on that by Christmas so that we can recruit and retain consultants and ensure appropriate clinical governance and accountability is in place? The new regional health areas, RHAs, are entities designed to streamline the hospital groups and community health organisations, CHOs. Where are we in establishing them? When does the Taoiseach envisage them to be established and made operational to ensure we have the appropriate structural governance and accountability in place? Those are the three questions: regarding the chief executive, the consultants and the RHAs.

See this speech in context