Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent Ireland Party) | Oireachtas source

I wish the Minister and the Ministers of State very well in their new roles.

On my first day in the Dáil, the first thing I spoke about was the health system in Limerick. The Ceann Comhairle at the time was Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl. I am asking for the Minister's and the Ministers of State's help in Limerick but I am asking for them to use a different approach. I am asking for a breath of fresh air. I am asking them to turn up in Limerick uninvited rather than invited. The Minister's predecessor turned up two or three times in Limerick and I knew about it. He said people had not been notified but they were. I was told by the staff that he was coming. To help the Minister help fix the problem, I will help her. I will do whatever I can to help the Minister fix the problem in UHL. We have made a start with a change of management. It is a start, but there is a lot more that can be done. I can help. I do not have to be here all the time criticising from across the floor of the House. I can help, but I want to make sure the Minister goes in there and looks for accountability. If somebody cannot deliver in his or her job, she has to move him or her out of that position.

I believe the biggest problem in UHL was when the hospital became a centre of excellence. It did not allow for a population increase. I refer to the management system there. If a nurse was under pressure and a senior nurse or senior management came around, what they were doing in Limerick was finding fault but what they should have been doing was pulling up their sleeves and saying they would help the nurse and fix the fault the next day by addressing the situation. The staff would see they had help, they were not being criticised and that something was going to be in place to rectify it. I am willing to help the Minister with that. For the Minister to get a full grasp of it, she will have to go there unannounced, and I believe she will. If I have to go in there to be the eyes and ears for the Minister, I will do so. I do not mind doing that because, at the end of the day, we are going to get the best healthcare for people. UHL will become what it once was. At one time it was the number one hospital in Ireland for training.

An issue in UHL, and it is probably happening in other hospitals at the moment, is the integration of different nationalities. We have a language barrier. It is nothing to do with the healthcare, but we have a barrier because of people not understanding each other. That needs to be addressed for the healthcare workers themselves and for the patients. It also needs to be addressed so we can help. If somebody is sick in a hospital, he or she does not want somebody speaking a different language because he or she might not be able to understand the person.

I wish the Minister well in her position. I will do whatever I can to help her make sure that she makes the most out of this going forward.

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