Results 50,321-50,340 of 74,100 for speaker:Bernard Durkan

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution: Completion of the Examination of the Report and Recommendations of the Citizens' Assembly and Preparation of a Draft Report in accordance with the Terms of Reference of the Joint Committee (13 Dec 2017)

Bernard Durkan: On the proposal of no vote. We are voting on the proposal not to vote.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Hospital Consultants Contract: Discussion (13 Dec 2017)

Bernard Durkan: I am aghast that something of this magnitude was taking place under the radar of the supervision of a number of people. I do not know how it could have taken place. At this committee we have raised on numerous occasions the snags that interrupt the free flow of patients through the public hospital system and nobody ever seems to be able to tell us the answers clearly. My first question...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Hospital Consultants Contract: Discussion (13 Dec 2017)

Bernard Durkan: Who monitors the fulfilment of consultants' contracts?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Hospital Consultants Contract: Discussion (13 Dec 2017)

Bernard Durkan: I apologise for interrupting, but what type of data is visible? If there is a long waiting list for two types of treatment such as ophthalmic and orthopaedic procedures, is it not possible to inquire why patients are waiting and where the responsible consultants are and who employs them? Are the waiting lists sufficient cause to say this is a serious matter and that something needs to be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Hospital Consultants Contract: Discussion (13 Dec 2017)

Bernard Durkan: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Hospital Consultants Contract: Discussion (13 Dec 2017)

Bernard Durkan: I hate to interrupt again, but back in the days when a visiting committee from the old health boards descended on a hospital, skin and hair flew if there was somebody missing. Is that not true?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Hospital Consultants Contract: Discussion (13 Dec 2017)

Bernard Durkan: Mr. Woods does not remember that far back, but it is not too long ago.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Hospital Consultants Contract: Discussion (13 Dec 2017)

Bernard Durkan: I assure Mr. Woods that it was not too long ago. There is a serious gap in the system if we have not been able to add a supervisory role for somebody at local or regional level. It is clearly missing and there is a serious disadvantage from the point of view of the taxpayer and the volume of patients who are waiting for treatment.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Hospital Consultants Contract: Discussion (13 Dec 2017)

Bernard Durkan: It is not.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Hospital Consultants Contract: Discussion (13 Dec 2017)

Bernard Durkan: Surely, those who carry out the audits must have all of the information at their fingertips or on a screen in front of them. When it appears on the screen in front of them, what do they do? Do they say today is a bad day, that they should export more patients to the National Treatment Purchase Fund or that they should find out where are all of the people who are on contracts?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Hospital Consultants Contract: Discussion (13 Dec 2017)

Bernard Durkan: Beds.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Hospital Consultants Contract: Discussion (13 Dec 2017)

Bernard Durkan: When did it first become obvious that consultants were not fulfilling their contracts?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Hospital Consultants Contract: Discussion (13 Dec 2017)

Bernard Durkan: Are they engaged in monitoring clinical directors or are they subservient to clinical directors or vice versa?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Hospital Consultants Contract: Discussion (13 Dec 2017)

Bernard Durkan: Therefore, consultants are monitoring themselves.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Hospital Consultants Contract: Discussion (13 Dec 2017)

Bernard Durkan: Mr. Woods does not need to. All he needs to do is concentrate on public hospitals.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Hospital Consultants Contract: Discussion (13 Dec 2017)

Bernard Durkan: I know.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Hospital Consultants Contract: Discussion (13 Dec 2017)

Bernard Durkan: What percentage of consultants have not been fulfilling their contracts? Has that been worked out? It appears that this is normal.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Hospital Consultants Contract: Discussion (13 Dec 2017)

Bernard Durkan: It might be helpful.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Hospital Consultants Contract: Discussion (13 Dec 2017)

Bernard Durkan: I thought the Chairman was demoting me. He gave me a terrible fright. With all the references to ageism and so on, that would worry me greatly. I have been watching developments in the health service for a considerable time. Long waiting lists are not new. Ten years ago, people were waiting two, three, four or five years for hip operations. I know that because I dealt with such people....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Hospital Consultants Contract: Discussion (13 Dec 2017)

Bernard Durkan: Why?