Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

She does not need any help. Deputy McDonald is right that there is an importance to the whole issue of safe staffing and the safe staffing framework. Indeed, I would have worked on this when I was in the Department of Health. The Minister, Deputy Donnelly, has done huge work on this. I am pleased to tell the House and, more importantly, people watching at home that the safe nursing staffing framework has now been fully funded. That involves approximately 2,000 posts. My understanding is approximately 1,500 of those people are now in place, working in our hospitals today, and the remaining 500, which are bring recruited, are fully funded. Every post, because the Deputy mentioned safe staffing, in the safe staffing framework of 2,000 is now fully funded. Fifteen hundred of them work in the health service today and the money is absolutely in place for the final 500.

When we talk about the health service on a macro level, let us look at it at a hospital by hospital level. In St. Vincent's University Hospital, which is not too far from here, there has been a 49% increase in the number of nurses and midwifes working in that hospital now than when Government came to office. Percentages can be misleading. That is 498 extra nurses working in St. Vincent's now than before this Government came to office. Tallaght Hospital, also not too far from here, has seen a 53% in nurse numbers. That is 521 more nurses. Cork University Hospital has 599 more nurses. The Mater, which is in the Deputy's constituency, has 488 more nurses working there since this Government came to office than before. In Waterford, in the south east, there has been a 51% increase or 381 more nurses. This is having a positive impact.

I accept wait times can still be too long; so does the Minister. We are driving them down.

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