Results 2,021-2,040 of 11,255 for speaker:Colm Burke

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Civil Liability (Amendment) Bill 2015: Discussion (8 Dec 2016)

Colm Burke: I thank the delegates for their presentations. I will refer to some of the issues touched on, the first of which concerns where there is an adverse event but no explanation of the outcome. I know of a case where it was decided that an external person would be appointed to carry out a review. The person to carry out the review was agreed to, but someone in administration decided they were...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Civil Liability (Amendment) Bill 2015: Discussion (8 Dec 2016)

Colm Burke: I thank all the delegates for their very comprehensive presentations. I wish to start with Mr. Breen of the State Claims Agency. He might indicate to us the change in the level of litigation in the past three or four years, in particular the figures paid out in 2014, 2015 and 2016. What is his view in this regard for the next 12 months to two years? My understanding from listening to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Civil Liability (Amendment) Bill 2015: Discussion (8 Dec 2016)

Colm Burke: I raised an issue about the level of compensation. Could it be dealt with?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Civil Liability (Amendment) Bill 2015: Discussion (8 Dec 2016)

Colm Burke: Is the other issue I raised about the changeover of staff a feature of cases? We have relied very much on agency staff, especially junior doctors. There is a very fast turnover of staff. Is this having a detrimental effect as a result on litigation?

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Dec 2016)

Colm Burke: The documentary broadcast last night, "The Crossing", did a very good job on showing how the Naval Service and the Defence Forces work to save lives, as well as their dedication and commitment to their job. They work very much as a team to ensure the maximum number of people can be saved in their rescue missions in the Mediterranean. I also compliment the producers of the programme. It is...

Seanad: Order of Business (13 Dec 2016)

Colm Burke: Does Senator Ó Clochartaigh believe in jobs? There are 200,000 more people at work-----

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Dec 2016)

Colm Burke: Yesterday I raised the cost of nursing homes and my colleagues raised it this morning. I raised it because, at the moment, the cost of public nursing homes is €1,700 per bed per week. The private nursing home sector gets €850 per week, a difference of €850. The private nursing homes have no problem increasing wages and salaries if they get the remuneration to pay for it.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Dec 2016)

Colm Burke: In the past five years, there has been an increase of 13% in the cost of public nursing homes, despite the fact that it costs €1,700 per week per bed at the moment. The argument is that they look after people with dementia but so does the private sector. The private sector has had a 1.75% increase in those five years. If one takes the logic of my colleague's point this morning, the...

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Dec 2016)

Colm Burke: He might also deal with the cost of building a public nursing home. The cost of building a public nursing home in Donegal is €22.75 billion for a 130-bed unit, at €175,000 per bed. If a person in the private sector borrowed money at 5% the cost of each bed in interest payments would be over €8,000 per annum.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Dec 2016)

Colm Burke: The public sector does not have to carry that cost but the private sector does. Let us have the debate.

Seanad: Order of Business (14 Dec 2016)

Colm Burke: The private sector has responded very responsibly and has delivered very well for a large number of families in this country. That needs to be acknowledged.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health Information and Patient Safety Bill: Discussion (14 Dec 2016)

Colm Burke: I thank the witnesses for their presentation and replies to questions. To return to Deputy O’Connell's first question on information being exchanged on the sale of a practice, due diligence applies nowadays to all commercial transactions. Does a due diligence process apply when a medical practice is being taken over? Does the legislation provide for this? I am not convinced by the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health Information and Patient Safety Bill: Discussion (14 Dec 2016)

Colm Burke: I am not talking about a buyer being given to personal health records----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health Information and Patient Safety Bill: Discussion (14 Dec 2016)

Colm Burke: I am speaking about access to information such as where the population that attends the practice is drawn from. The due diligence could be around review of addresses and so on. A person considering the purchase of a practice will want to try to work out the likely future of a practice based on its information on based on patient age profile and so on, which information will also help in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health Information and Patient Safety Bill: Discussion (14 Dec 2016)

Colm Burke: Yes. Thank you.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health Information and Patient Safety Bill: Discussion (14 Dec 2016)

Colm Burke: I thank the witnesses for their presentation. My apologies for my absence. We had votes in the Seanad. My apologies for not being present for all the presentations. To come back to the comments of my colleague, Deputy O'Connell, on the regulation of home care, I have published a Bill on that and it has been debated in the Seanad. A very comprehensive report on it was produced by the Law...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: General Scheme of the Health Information and Patient Safety Bill: Discussion (14 Dec 2016)

Colm Burke: I will probably revert to Mr. Quinn about the matter. We are on Second Stage of the Bill in the Seanad and I want to progress it, but there seems to be resistance from the Department. If I could be excused, a vote has been called in the Seanad. I express my apologies and thank the witnesses for their presentations.

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Hospital Consultant Recruitment (15 Dec 2016)

Colm Burke: I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Catherine Byrne, and thank her for coming to the House to deal with this matter. I know she has a very busy schedule. The matter I am raising this morning concerns Mercy University Hospital in Cork, which has an accident and emergency department and a urgent care centre. When the accident and emergency department was constructed, the view was that it...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Hospital Consultant Recruitment (15 Dec 2016)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister of State for her reply. My only problem with it is that it is very much HSE spin. I will give the figures. Between the urgent care centre and the accident and emergency department, 48,000 people attend Mercy University Hospital. A total of 66,000 people attend Cork University Hospital. We have 1.6 consultants in Mercy University Hospital and we are now talking about...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Hospital Consultant Recruitment (15 Dec 2016)

Colm Burke: I thank the Minister of State. If she ever visits Cork, she is very welcome to visit Mercy University Hospital where staff would be delighted to meet the Minister and the Minister of State because it is an excellent hospital. It would be worth a call.