Ivana Bacik (Dublin Bay South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of visiting Sligo to meet our local representatives, Nessa Cosgrove in County Sligo and Bernie Linnane in County Leitrim. As part of our meetings, we met staff and management in Sligo University Hospital. Some of the issues they raised with us are common throughout the health service and are a concern to all those working in front-line healthcare provision. They include issues with waiting lists and delays in the delivery of the necessary infrastructure, which includes a new unit to provide more beds in Sligo, which I understand will not come onstream until 2025, despite having been promised for a long time. We also heard of issues with staff recruitment and retention and difficulties for staff recruited from overseas in finding accommodation locally in Sligo and in other towns and cities around the country.

I will table a parliamentary question on another matter that was raised with me concerning healthcare, which is the need for a review of the use of data collected in hospital laboratories around Ireland and what safeguards are put in place relating to data protection.

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