Results 3,661-3,680 of 11,255 for speaker:Colm Burke

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Examination of HIQA Report on the Impact of Covid-19 on Nursing Homes in Ireland (10 Sep 2020)

Colm Burke: Ms Dunnion might recall that at that period, there was a considerable effort by the HSE to move people out of hospitals. Does Ms Dunnion agree that people were transferred out of hospitals to these facilities?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Examination of HIQA Report on the Impact of Covid-19 on Nursing Homes in Ireland (10 Sep 2020)

Colm Burke: I am aware of that, but is HIQA aware of people being transferred out of hospitals into facilities that it highlighted to the HSE as being at risk? Were people transferred to those facilities between 1 February 2020 and the time when the outbreaks started occurring?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Examination of HIQA Report on the Impact of Covid-19 on Nursing Homes in Ireland (10 Sep 2020)

Colm Burke: Of the nursing homes that Ms Dunnion stated were under the HSE's control and were not complying with the regulations, how many were identified where patients were transferred to? To put the matter in context, such nursing homes were on the early warning list so surely to God HIQA would have checked what number of patients were being transferred to those facilities. We can look at our...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Examination of HIQA Report on the Impact of Covid-19 on Nursing Homes in Ireland (10 Sep 2020)

Colm Burke: Can I get answers in writing to the specific questions I have asked?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Examination of HIQA Report on the Impact of Covid-19 on Nursing Homes in Ireland (10 Sep 2020)

Colm Burke: I will return to the assessment framework that was issued on 21 April. If HIQA was planning to deal with this matter as far back as January 2020, why did it take until 21 April? At that stage, there were 194 clusters in nursing homes. Why did HIQA wait until 21 April to send that to nursing homes? How come it was not sent out at an earlier stage? We were then at a stage when 194 clusters...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Examination of HIQA Report on the Impact of Covid-19 on Nursing Homes in Ireland (10 Sep 2020)

Colm Burke: Does Ms Dunnion believe that if there was more engagement with private nursing homes by the HSE, HIQA and all the other statutory agencies, many more of the outbreaks that occurred could have been prevented?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Examination of HIQA Report on the Impact of Covid-19 on Nursing Homes in Ireland (10 Sep 2020)

Colm Burke: Does Ms Dunnion accept that HIQA and the HSE should have engaged with private nursing homes? There was engagement with hospitals and publicly-run nursing homes, but engagement with private nursing homes seems to have been put on the back-burner.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Examination of HIQA Report on the Impact of Covid-19 on Nursing Homes in Ireland (10 Sep 2020)

Colm Burke: We have seen none of that engagement or communication from 1 January 2020 until 21 April. HIQA confirmed in its report that from 25 March onwards, there were more than 2,500 phone calls but we have no information about what occurred in the preceding three and a half months.

Written Answers — Department of Health: Pharmacy Services (15 Sep 2020)

Colm Burke: 667. To ask the Minister for Health if a minor ailments service will be instituted in community pharmacies here similar to the system which operates in Northern Ireland in order to alleviate pressure on general practitioners and the health system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23387/20]

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Flood Relief Schemes (16 Sep 2020)

Colm Burke: 41. To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if funding will be made available for the Blackpool flood relief scheme in view of the fact that the work required is outstanding for a number of years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24372/20]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (16 Sep 2020)

Colm Burke: 70. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if a review will be carried out regarding the provision of a bus escort for a child (details supplied) travelling to and from school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24231/20]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Covid-19 Pandemic (16 Sep 2020)

Colm Burke: 136. To ask the Minister for Health when pharmacies will receive the surgical masks that the HSE agreed with a union (details supplied) will be supplied in order to keep pharmacy staff safe from the potential risk of catching or spreading Covid-19 infection in the pharmacy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24292/20]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Paediatric Services (16 Sep 2020)

Colm Burke: 135. To ask the Minister for Health if the newborn bloodspot screening test will be expanded from identifying eight rare treatable illnesses to 40 which is the current practice in Italy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24291/20]

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Final Report of Nursing Homes Expert Panel (16 Sep 2020)

Colm Burke: I thank the witnesses for their presentation and the work they have done on preparing the report. A lot of hard work has gone into it. It is a very good report in terms of how we can plan for the future. May I revert to the staff issue? It is important because the pressures staff are under in many nursing homes were really challenging. In the expert panel's investigation and work done,...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Final Report of Nursing Homes Expert Panel (16 Sep 2020)

Colm Burke: Professor Twomey referred earlier to the structure of the nursing home sector. Is it not the case that the sector developed in the way it has because we had a situation in the past where only one person in a household was working, whereas now, almost every family has both partners working and they are unable, therefore, to give support to their parents in the same way that was possible in...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Final Report of Nursing Homes Expert Panel (Resumed) (16 Sep 2020)

Colm Burke: I may not use them all. I thank the witnesses for the work they have done over the past six months. It has been a challenging time for everyone. It is important that we work together to resolve outstanding issues and ensure our nursing homes and the care of the elderly are managed in the best possible way. My opening question is on an issue I also raised with HIQA, which was mentioned in...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Final Report of Nursing Homes Expert Panel (Resumed) (16 Sep 2020)

Colm Burke: On that point, can our committee have copies of those communications because I have not seen any such written communications at any stage over the past three months from HIQA, the HSE or, indeed, from the Department?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Final Report of Nursing Homes Expert Panel (Resumed) (16 Sep 2020)

Colm Burke: I am looking in particular for communications during the period between January and the end of March.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Final Report of Nursing Homes Expert Panel (Resumed) (16 Sep 2020)

Colm Burke: I know that there were communications after that period but I am anxious to see the communications in that crucial time period. Perhaps they were submitted but I have no recollection of seeing any particular communications dealing with infection control.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Final Report of Nursing Homes Expert Panel (Resumed) (16 Sep 2020)

Colm Burke: The second issue I want to raise was discussed earlier and relates to staff working in more than one nursing home. Was any guidance given to nursing homes or HSE facilities about the challenges that there would be in employing staff coming from another medical facility? Some HSE facilities might have had difficulties in trying to get staff and that may have resulted in staff going from one...