Results 7,361-7,380 of 49,836 for speaker:Stephen Donnelly

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Workforce Planning in the Irish Health Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2019)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank Dr. McGarry for his statement and all the witnesses for their time. It is difficult to know where to start with his statement. It is pretty damning stuff. It depicts a healthcare system and a workforce in crisis. How many doctors are we short? Dr. McGarry might start with the hospitals before moving onto GPs. There are meant to be approximately 3,300 hospital consultants, but we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Workforce Planning in the Irish Health Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2019)

Stephen Donnelly: We can assume that if there is a plan, somebody has taken account of the fact that the population is growing and ageing. It is implicit in my question that the plan includes that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Workforce Planning in the Irish Health Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2019)

Stephen Donnelly: Have the witnesses seen a plan that states we need an extra 3,000 consultants, listing the specialties, the hospitals, the demographics, the number retiring, the number leaving, and how this will be achieved? Does that exist?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Workforce Planning in the Irish Health Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2019)

Stephen Donnelly: Is it fair to say that, as the union representing the doctors of Ireland, that if it existed then the IMO would probably know about it?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Workforce Planning in the Irish Health Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2019)

Stephen Donnelly: I have not seen it either for what it is worth. We have a massive shortage of GPs. We have a GP population in crisis, dealing with all sorts of stuff which is compelling them to leave or cut back practice or leave the country and practise elsewhere. Is there a plan anywhere that states these are the number GPs we need?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Workforce Planning in the Irish Health Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2019)

Stephen Donnelly: When Dr. McGarry says there is a notional figure out there, does that mean there is an agreed Department-HSE target stating we need X number of GPs? Does that mean we must hire, recruit, train and retain a certain number? Is there an agreed target and a plan to reach that target?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Workforce Planning in the Irish Health Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2019)

Stephen Donnelly: I am not asking for the numbers. Is there a plan to hit those numbers? Is there an operational plan that states how the public healthcare system will get to the number of GPs needed?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Workforce Planning in the Irish Health Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2019)

Stephen Donnelly: That has been laid out very well. Several times the witnesses spoke about the health service being underfunded and under-resourced. I absolutely agree that the system is in crisis across the board. I absolutely accept that the money is not being spent the way it should be spent. Putting aside how the total pot of money is spent, is it the witnesses’ contention that the total...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Workforce Planning in the Irish Health Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2019)

Stephen Donnelly: Are we? On what metric?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Workforce Planning in the Irish Health Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2019)

Stephen Donnelly: Measured in what way?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Workforce Planning in the Irish Health Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2019)

Stephen Donnelly: Is Ms Hetherington sure?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Workforce Planning in the Irish Health Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2019)

Stephen Donnelly: What does Ms Hetherington think the right figure is? We are at €18 billion for next year.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Workforce Planning in the Irish Health Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2019)

Stephen Donnelly: I am not having a go but, with respect, the witnesses are making economic statements. If one is going to say not enough money is being spent on public healthcare, then one needs to be able to back that up. If the witnesses are not health economists, then they should not say it. I am not having a go. I am really trying to understand it. The figures I see are that we are well above average...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Workforce Planning in the Irish Health Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2019)

Stephen Donnelly: We can come back to it. Am I done, time wise?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Workforce Planning in the Irish Health Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2019)

Stephen Donnelly: Excellent. My next question concerns the FEMPI legislation. I spent a good deal of time interacting with the IMO which has repeatedly told me that the number one priority is the reversal of the FEMPI cuts for general practitioners, GPs, for whom Fianna Fáil and I went to bat very hard. We got a provision for its reversal this year. It was not done as quickly as we wanted, but we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Workforce Planning in the Irish Health Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2019)

Stephen Donnelly: I know what it is. I am asking if, having achieved it, is it working?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Workforce Planning in the Irish Health Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2019)

Stephen Donnelly: I know, which is why we batted so hard.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Workforce Planning in the Irish Health Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2019)

Stephen Donnelly: I understand that, but what I am asking is if we are seeing a difference on the ground?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Workforce Planning in the Irish Health Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2019)

Stephen Donnelly: It was a long time to wait for five minutes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Workforce Planning in the Irish Health Sector: Discussion (Resumed) (16 Oct 2019)

Stephen Donnelly: Do not mind the next committee. We will be brief. I have many questions. I will ask them quickly and if the witnesses can answer them quickly, we will move through them as fast as we can in five minutes. NCHDs and consultants have stated repeatedly how poor the working practices are. I fully agree and I fully accept that. It begs the question as to why. The other healthcare systems...