Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome this Bill and the opportunity to contribute. I might be a little cheeky and say that it is great to have more than two minutes or even a shared minute to be able to contribute to such an important Bill. I heard the Minister's opening statement. While it is welcome, as this has been desperately required for the last number of years and we all know that has been the case, the reality is that we have been laggards on this important legislation, which is necessary for a fully functioning health service. It is an important, integral piece of the health service jigsaw. We know that it should lead to better communications for health services and better outcomes for patients, never mind the fact that it should hopefully ensure that records are safe and secure. That is just as important as access. I feel that needs to be said.

We need this, as the Minister said, to be transformative and to assist healthcare workers in saving lives, but also to lead to tangible health benefits. We know about the pressures that our national heroes, our healthcare workers, are dealing with daily. This will be positive for them to hear. The lack of detail and timelines was not helpful. It possibly points to an unfortunate level of tardiness, if I can be as bold to say it, that exists within Government when it comes to proposals and policy design. The slow process is well and truly demonstrated. This is not one of those mechanisms that can be allowed to be delivered in such a slow manner. The fact that it has not been prioritised is an indictment and points to the failures to grapple with the challenges that we currently face in our health service.

The Minister mentioned that there will be a pilot scheme and that this is planned for the new children's hospital, for whenever that is to be finished. I ask the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, why that is the case. We still do not have a definitive date for when this hospital will actually open. That pushes out running the pilot. Why would Government take such a decision? We should be rolling out the pilot as soon as possible with no delays and no waiting. That has to be questioned. We must get answers to that today. I am sure there are many ideal locations for this new app to be rolled out in a pilot scheme. I believe delaying it until the opening of the already delayed children's hospital is, in fact, an act of hypocrisy for a Government which continues to advocate that it is taking decisive actions for patients.

Would it not be a more sensible decision to pick a smaller hospital setting such as Ennis General Hospital? The Minister of State might have heard my statement yesterday where I equated Ennis in County Clare, in the Government's eyes, to the poor cousin's aunt, particularly when it comes to resourcing and funding. I invite the Government to take a stance and prove the likes of me wrong by choosing Ennis General Hospital for this positive new pilot and app that has been explained. It is often only considered when it comes to bolstering University Hospital Limerick and we are consistently stripped of our elective procedure capability to offset the overcrowding in UHL. We are also hearing most recently that it is impacting our assessment unit, which is also concerning, because it has been a great pathway for people to be able to access healthcare and treatment in County Clare. The unit does fantastic work and is consistently adjusting its roles and responsibilities. That is not an easy task by any standard. Can we show appreciation for all that those people do with the very little that they have? I take the opportunity to thank them for all the hard work they do on the ground, with the high pressures they face.

I also refer to the elephant in the room on this proposal on the new app. It goes without saying but I clearly feel the need to say that I insist that all due diligence be exercised before we roll out the use of this app. As we have learned from the recent publication of the Clarke report, when it came to the alert system being used in UHL, there were a number of mishaps and problems with the alert system that were undoubtedly obvious to staff. I assume, and all I can do here today is make an assumption, that the issue was brought to the relevant personnel's attention, but no action was taken. I mention this as a precautionary comment. I hope that due diligence will be exercised to its fullest before it is rolled out.

It is important to mention that the shortfalls left the hospital vulnerable, but most importantly, it left the patients vulnerable. I want it on the record that I expect and know that all of the patients in the mid-west region expect and will demand that proper and concise due diligence be exercised, especially before it is heavily relied on. Eleven years since the e-health strategy was published, here we are. We can afford the public their frustrations because the Government and previous governments seem to take the meaning of the slow process to a whole new level. I find it quite embarrassing. People say that it is only in Ireland that these things happen or that it is pure Irish to speak of constant delays and kicking the can down the road, but this is a clear example of why those statements would be made.

Two interns started in my office yesterday, Lindsey and John, who are both from the United States. They pointed out that they have access to all their health records and insurance on their phones. They were perplexed about the situation in this country. They had hoped that I would be able to bring what we collected from the stationery department, which was a massive box of paper, to demonstrate visually what we are contending with in Ireland. Unfortunately, briefings did not allow for me to be able to carry that box here today. It was an important comment coming from both of those interns.

We have a fantastic opportunity which is not to be missed but it is important to have a strategy in place. I refer to my own experience, when I had baby Collins. The GP who was in Kilrush was replaced by a temporary locum and then another temporary locum. I cannot remember the reason but I required something from the GP about the birth of baby Collins. He obviously was not the GP I was attending, so he required proof of the baby's birth. I tried to point him towards the news but he wanted proper proof, so I rang the maternity hospital, which was fantastic and well able to assist me, but it outlined that my file was no longer on site at the hospital. Once the baby is born, after a period of time, files are relocated to a central storage area. It perplexed me at the time that this was the case. I was left with my mind boggled. The hospital got me access to the information as quickly as possible but it just seems unnecessary. What we have here is possibly reactionary politics at play after an issue has arisen. We need to see more preventative measures and politics brought to the fore and to be more responsive.

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