Results 27,381-27,400 of 49,836 for speaker:Stephen Donnelly

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Hospital Services (31 Mar 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: As I said, and as the Deputy will be aware, I personally intervened to stop the process that had been going on. My view is that any consideration like this must involve the local communities, the healthcare professionals and those elected by the local communities to represent their interests. I would like to acknowledge that the Deputy, as well as other elected representatives for the area,...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Hospital Services (31 Mar 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: There is a question that the Deputy and I, as elected representatives, have to answer. If the Deputy and I, and all of us present, are being told not in private conversations where maybe we can or cannot quote directly and name individuals but on the record by the senior doctors that we need to do X, Y and Z-----

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Hospital Services (31 Mar 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: Okay, but if we are being told in open session by named individuals whom we can hold to account that changes need to be made to the healthcare system, be that investment in the National Ambulance Service, in mental health services, in minor injury units or in more care, to protect the lives of the people we represent, then what do we do? This is a really important issue for Navan hospital...

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógáil) - Other Questions (Resumed).: Hospital Services (31 Mar 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Deputy for raising this very important issue. I fully appreciate how sickle cell disease and thalassemia can place a substantial medical, social and financial burden on patients and their carers. There are some positive developments in terms of services for children but more needs to be done in the transition for adults. Children can access services provided by...

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógáil) - Other Questions (Resumed).: Hospital Services (31 Mar 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Deputy for his ongoing advocacy in this area. These are red blood cell disorders that can affect adults and children. The children can access the services of the paediatric haemoglobin and red cell disorder programme in Children's Health Ireland. In 2000, a maximum of 20 patients with such a disorder had been identified. Today, nearly 400 patients have been identified. That...

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógáil) - Other Questions (Resumed).: Hospital Services (31 Mar 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Deputy for his suggestions. I will refer his suggestion on the heel prick test. We have a group examining these issues. One of the things we want to do is to expand the number of conditions that are tested for. That is, in part, a result of the phenomenal advocacy work of Mr. Les Martin in terms of newborn screening. I will also refer the Deputy's suggestion around blood...

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógáil) - Other Questions (Resumed).: Departmental Funding (31 Mar 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: I considered the Deputy's question at length and I was trying to understand exactly what he was asking. If I do not cover the specifics he wishes me to cover, I will happily revert to him with a note or talk to him about the issue separately. Section 38 and section 39 organisations have service provision arrangements with the HSE across a range of services, including healthcare, social...

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógáil) - Other Questions (Resumed).: Departmental Funding (31 Mar 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Deputy. He has covered several of the challenges we have. One of those is around multi-annual funding. To some extent there is multi-annual funding, in that when we put money in the health budget base, it is understood that money will stay there going forward. If we have invested in disability services, drug services, which are led by the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan,...

Ceisteanna Eile (Atógáil) - Other Questions (Resumed).: Departmental Funding (31 Mar 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: I agree. The way healthcare in this country is funded generally needs a radical overhaul. For example, most of our hospital and community services are funded through a block grant. We give hospital managers a certain amount of money for the year regardless of what happens in their hospital, how many patients they treat or how much innovation they do. Instead, we should be saying to the...

Women's Health Action Plan: Statements (31 Mar 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: I am sharing my time with the Minister of State, Deputy Feighan. I am delighted to discuss this important issue. Improving the outcomes and experiences of women in our healthcare system has been an absolute priority for the Government and will remain so throughout its term. This month we launched of the women's health action plan, the first of its kind in Ireland and showing a new future...

Women's Health Action Plan: Statements (31 Mar 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: A Cheann Comhairle, I wish to apologise to colleagues in advance. I really wanted to stay for the entire debate but a sub-committee meeting on health is scheduled to be held at 3 p.m. This is a very important issue for me and I wanted to be here for the full debate. Deputies will understand that when I leave, it is not that I want to go anywhere else but rather because I have been...

National Maternity Hospital: Statements (31 Mar 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the various Deputies for raising this important issue. I acknowledge the strong political and public interest in the development of the national maternity hospital, NMH. First, as I have said many times, the Government is fully committed to the development of the new NMH. This is clearly laid out in the programme for Government. The fact that concerns are being raised from some...

National Maternity Hospital: Statements (31 Mar 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: The letter I have before me is from the midwives and doctors in the National Maternity Hospital. What they are saying is that they are extremely concerned about a combination of misinformation and misunderstanding. They state: "Concerns being raised that the new [national] maternity hospital will be curtailed by any religious ethos are misleading and ill-informed." They go on to say that...

National Maternity Hospital: Statements (31 Mar 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: I had a closing speech prepared, but I would prefer to try to address as many of the points raised as I can. I start by thanking colleagues for their time and contributions. It is important to have this debate. It is one of several we have had on this essential issue, including at the Joint Committee on Health. I am struck by the disconnect between the amount of disagreement, which we...

National Maternity Hospital: Statements (31 Mar 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: -----would own the land. I hope we are all in agreement that there is no easy option whereby the State could own the land. In pursuing the alternatives, for example, moving the site to somewhere other than Elm Park-----

National Maternity Hospital: Statements (31 Mar 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: -----or using a compulsory purchase order, the advice I have is that all of these options would carry a very significant risk of derailing this project by potentially not having it co-located at Elm Park and, at a minimum, adding many years to it. I think we are in agreement on all of the other pieces above. Given this final piece on the ownership of the land and potentially the...

National Maternity Hospital: Statements (31 Mar 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: The process is that I have to bring the proposal to the Government. The Government will then form a view and we will debate it. The Deputy and others have asked whether it can be brought to the health committee for detailed interrogation. Absolutely. Not only am I happy to attend, but I propose – the Deputy and I have spoken about this before – that we bring along the...

National Maternity Hospital: Statements (31 Mar 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: Unfortunately, what we have here this evening is a debate that is probably slightly too early. We would love to be able to get into the detail.

National Maternity Hospital: Statements (31 Mar 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: On the Deputies' questions about the process, Deputy Shortall has been in government. She is well aware of the process. I have to bring the proposal to the Government for the Government to interrogate.

National Maternity Hospital: Statements (31 Mar 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: I imagine we will then have more debates like this, but also at the health committee.