Results 6,361-6,380 of 8,015 for speaker:Jonathan O'Brien

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Financial Statements of the HSE
2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Department of Health (5 Jul 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: Is there anything in the contracts of clerical staff working in hospitals that allows them to carry out work on behalf of consultants' private practices? For instance, may a person working for and paid by the HSE take up work during his or her working hours on behalf of a consultant in a private capacity, such as managing the consultant's private diary or sending out appointment letters for...

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Financial Statements of the HSE
2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Department of Health (5 Jul 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: I received certain information on such practices. Mr. Woods is not aware of any complaints regarding people double jobbing and receiving a payment from the HSE and another from a private consultant for carrying out work.

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Financial Statements of the HSE
2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Department of Health (5 Jul 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: If I provide him with that information, will he investigate it?

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Financial Statements of the HSE
2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Department of Health (5 Jul 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: I have a number of questions on the Supplementary Estimates. Between 2008 and 2016, the total savings through efficiencies within the HSE amount to €1.223 billion. Will the witnesses confirm whether that is correct?

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Financial Statements of the HSE
2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Department of Health (5 Jul 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: It is in a briefing document. It is the figure of €1.223 billion saved between 2008 and 2016.

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Financial Statements of the HSE
2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Department of Health (5 Jul 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: Nearly every single year a Supplementary Estimate is required for the health budget. I raised this yesterday with the Minister for Finance and for Public Expenditure and Reform in respect of the reasons for it and Mr. Connaghan has outlined some of them. The answer I received is that he is currently assessing with the Minister for Health and the Department the reasons for such underfunding...

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Financial Statements of the HSE
2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Department of Health (5 Jul 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: I would say that it is the Government that decides, based on what the Government says the health budget is, rather than the Oireachtas but that is a moot point. I want to ask about next year's budget, which we do not know. I presume, Mr. Connaghan, that the HSE is already considering areas for further efficiencies-----

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Financial Statements of the HSE
2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Department of Health (5 Jul 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: -----or savings. That is one area. We have a demand-led service and an aging demographic. Costs will arise in one area and the HSE may find savings in another area. How often does the HSE hold discussions prior to the budget in terms of trying to figure out the budget? Does the HSE approach the Department and tell it what is needed to run the service the following year? Does the HSE say...

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Financial Statements of the HSE
2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Department of Health (5 Jul 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: Yes.

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Financial Statements of the HSE
2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Department of Health (5 Jul 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: That is okay.

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Financial Statements of the HSE
2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Department of Health (5 Jul 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: Yes.

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Financial Statements of the HSE
2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Department of Health (5 Jul 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: In terms of the process, does the HSE first calculate how much it needs to maintain the level of service that it had the previous year?

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Financial Statements of the HSE
2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Department of Health (5 Jul 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: Next, the HSE calculates the additional moneys it needs to meet demographic changes or rising demand. Does the HSE discuss how it will tackle backlogs, waiting lists and all of that stuff? Does the HSE say: "Look, we need X amount to reduce waiting lists by a certain percentage every year?" Is there such a plan in place?

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Financial Statements of the HSE
2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Department of Health (5 Jul 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: Yes.

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Financial Statements of the HSE
2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Department of Health (5 Jul 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: I perused some of the accounts for the community health organisation, CHOs, and focused on the mental health area. I would like a couple of things to be further explained. To be fair, we received very detailed accounts and some of the accounts ran to more than 300 pages. The accounts were broken down into categories such as catering, cleaning, washing and medical but really everything.

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Financial Statements of the HSE
2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Department of Health (5 Jul 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: It was a report that was given to the Joint Committee on the Future of Mental Health Care.

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Financial Statements of the HSE
2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Department of Health (5 Jul 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: I was struck by one item in the report and I ask the delegation for an explanation. I refer to the transport heading where costs were entitled "staff transport" and "patient transport" costs. I understand what the staff transport costs might be. For example, the cost may refer to visits by public health nurses and so on. I ask the witnesses to explain what is meant by the term "patient...

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Financial Statements of the HSE
2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Department of Health (5 Jul 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: This is just within the mental heath service.

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Financial Statements of the HSE
2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Department of Health (5 Jul 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: Yes. I understand, from the information that I have been told, that the vast majority of that budget involves the transfer of files rather than individuals. If somebody moves from one service to another or from one unit to another unit, the file is not given to the patient but is transported separately, and we use a taxi service to transfer the files. Is that correct?

Public Accounts Committee: 2017 Financial Statements of the HSE
2016 Annual Report of the Comptroller and Auditor General and Appropriation Accounts
Vote 38 - Department of Health (5 Jul 2018)

Jonathan O'Brien: Is it possible to get a better breakdown of the heading entitled "patient transport"?