Results 14,081-14,100 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney

Written Answers — Hospital Waiting Lists: Hospital Waiting Lists (22 Apr 2008)

Mary Harney: Operational responsibility for the management and delivery of health and personal social services was assigned to the Health Service Executive under the Health Act 2004 and funding for all health services has been provided as part of its overall vote. Therefore, the Executive is the appropriate body to consider the particular issues raised by the Deputy. My Department has requested the...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (22 Apr 2008)

Mary Harney: The Health Service Executive administers the pension scheme in question and therefore is the appropriate organisation to address the Deputy's query. My Department has requested the Parliamentary Affairs Division of the Executive to arrange to have the matter investigated and to have a reply issued to the Deputy.

Seanad: Patient Safety: Statements (22 Apr 2008)

Mary Harney: I am happy to be before the Seanad to speak about the issue of patient safety. A new era has arrived in the Irish health care system. It is an era where patient safety is central to everything we do. The journey of ensuring the setting of standards and the enforcement of those standards has begun with a couple of key milestones. The first was the establishment of the Health Information...

Seanad: Patient Safety: Statements (22 Apr 2008)

Mary Harney: Standing where?

Seanad: Patient Safety: Statements (22 Apr 2008)

Mary Harney: I do not know from where the Senator is getting her information. This is the first I heard of it.

Seanad: Patient Safety: Statements (22 Apr 2008)

Mary Harney: It would take me an hour to answer all the questions posed. Instead, I will make several observations with particular focus on the point made by Senator Quinn and others. Life expectancy is one of the international measures used to compare health systems. Between 1999 and 2003, life expectancy in Ireland increased by three years. A child born in Ireland today will live longer than one...

Seanad: Patient Safety: Statements (22 Apr 2008)

Mary Harney: I hope the Senator will agree with me that patients should not suffer.

Seanad: Patient Safety: Statements (22 Apr 2008)

Mary Harney: We pay dispensing fees of €100,000 more per pharmacist than they do in Northern Ireland. That cannot be sustained.

Seanad: Patient Safety: Statements (22 Apr 2008)

Mary Harney: I do not envisage that we will have those issues. I certainly hope we will not.

Seanad: Patient Safety: Statements (22 Apr 2008)

Mary Harney: The contract of employment requires three months' notice. The HSE wrote to pharmacists last week. I understand a number of them indicated they are considering whether to dispense. They have not said they are withdrawing their services.

Seanad: Patient Safety: Statements (22 Apr 2008)

Mary Harney: Yes, I know that. I understand the five pharmacists who said they intended to withdraw their services have now said they will not do so. A great deal of dialogue is needed. It is an industrial relations issue. I do not want to add to the difficulties being experienced by both sides. My view is that it would not be professionally or ethically acceptable for patients to suffer. Patient...

Seanad: Patient Safety: Statements (22 Apr 2008)

Mary Harney: I was also asked about ambulance and maternity services, etc. I understand that Senators are naturally concerned about their individual localities. We are too often obsessed with where things happen rather than what happens. Patient safety has to be paramount. It is a fact that it is not safe for a person who goes to an accident and emergency department at 10 p.m. or 11 p.m. to be seen by...

Seanad: Patient Safety: Statements (22 Apr 2008)

Mary Harney: As I have said, I could answer more questions. I will be more than happy to come back to deal with some of the other issues on another occasion.

Seanad: Patient Safety: Statements (Resumed) (22 Apr 2008)

Mary Harney: A number of issues were raised about services. I do not propose to deal with all of them. I assure Senator Prendergast that discussions are ongoing among clinicians in the south east. I was asked when the cancer control programme that is currently being implemented will be concluded. Half of it will be implemented by the end of this year and between 80% and 90% of it will be implemented...

Seanad: Patient Safety: Statements (Resumed) (22 Apr 2008)

Mary Harney: No. The position in question has never been filled since the HSE was established.

Seanad: Patient Safety: Statements (Resumed) (22 Apr 2008)

Mary Harney: If Senator Buttimer thinks an organisation that employs 111,000 people can be run without a director of human resources, he should think again.

Seanad: Patient Safety: Statements (Resumed) (22 Apr 2008)

Mary Harney: No, it is not. We need appropriate management.

Seanad: Patient Safety: Statements (Resumed) (22 Apr 2008)

Mary Harney: We need good management.

Seanad: Patient Safety: Statements (Resumed) (22 Apr 2008)

Mary Harney: I do not suggest we need administration for the sake of it. We need hands-on management.

Seanad: Patient Safety: Statements (Resumed) (22 Apr 2008)

Mary Harney: When I wrote to the HSE after the Portlaoise report was published, I drew its attention to the need to learn from the governance deficiencies that were identified in the report. Regardless of where one works in the HSE, one has to be clear about what one's job is and to whom one is responsible. Some people think one can press a green button to make change happen, but it takes time. The...