Results 19,501-19,520 of 26,793 for speaker:David Cullinane

Written Answers — Department of Health: Departmental Funding (23 Nov 2021)

David Cullinane: 688. To ask the Minister for Health the way the remaining €7 million announced in Budget 2022 under additional resources for current expenditure which is not covered in the table of selected measures will be allocated in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57515/21]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Delays in Accessing Scoliosis Treatment and Surgery: Discussion (11 Nov 2021)

David Cullinane: I welcome both witnesses. I thank them for their work in this area as well and for advocating for children and their patients. In his opening statement, Mr. Green says the current service for scoliosis is inadequate. I am very taken by what he says which is that, while scoliosis is very important and is the subject matter of today's hearing, there are also concerns about children with...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Delays in Accessing Scoliosis Treatment and Surgery: Discussion (11 Nov 2021)

David Cullinane: I want to get to the consequences of that. As politicians, we have been dealing with this issue for many years. Children and their parents have received a lot of promises. There have been a lot of glossy brochures, plans, presentations, and strategies yet the two specialists are sitting here today telling us that even still the service is inadequate. The witnesses are the specialists and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Delays in Accessing Scoliosis Treatment and Surgery: Discussion (11 Nov 2021)

David Cullinane: -----that they miss school-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Delays in Accessing Scoliosis Treatment and Surgery: Discussion (11 Nov 2021)

David Cullinane: -----that they are left in pain because they are waiting far too long for treatment-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Delays in Accessing Scoliosis Treatment and Surgery: Discussion (11 Nov 2021)

David Cullinane: -----and that cancelled procedures have a real impact on the children? We are talking here about children who are getting ready, getting prepped and psychologically preparing for surgery with their parents and then getting a late call to say that their surgery is cancelled.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Delays in Accessing Scoliosis Treatment and Surgery: Discussion (11 Nov 2021)

David Cullinane: Those are the consequences. I suppose what people want to hear and what families want to hear are the solutions. These guys have advocated, and made submissions as well, and they are fighting for resources. From speaking to all of the consultants, nurses and doctors that I meet in healthcare, and I meet many in my role as health spokesperson, I know they want the tools to do the job. They...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Delays in Accessing Scoliosis Treatment and Surgery: Discussion (11 Nov 2021)

David Cullinane: Could I make one final comment because our time is tight and my time is up? Nobody would disagree with anything Mr. Green has said there. Here we are all of these years later and we do not have properly resourced paediatric ICU beds. We do not have the appropriately skilled staff to be able to operate those beds. We do not have enough surgical theatre capacity. Mr. Green is saying we...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Delays in Accessing Scoliosis Treatment and Surgery: Discussion (11 Nov 2021)

David Cullinane: We hope he does. There is one final point I want to make. Mr. Green stated that Covid and the cyberattack cannot be used as an excuse for the unacceptably high wait times. I wrote down what Mr. Green said. I think he stated that we would be dishonest to blame Covid and the cyberattack. Children's Health Ireland and the HSE state that the problem is the cyberattack and Covid, that is...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Delays in Accessing Scoliosis Treatment and Surgery: Discussion (11 Nov 2021)

David Cullinane: In Mr. Green's expert opinion, how long would it take? If it is not a year, what would be a reasonable time?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Delays in Accessing Scoliosis Treatment and Surgery: Discussion (11 Nov 2021)

David Cullinane: This morning, we heard honest, sobering and heartbreaking contributions from two colleagues of Ms Hardiman who are consultant surgeons in this area. Was she present to hear the presentations or has she listened to them?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Delays in Accessing Scoliosis Treatment and Surgery: Discussion (11 Nov 2021)

David Cullinane: I will start by referring to a number of comments made by Mr. Green. He said that the care of children with scoliosis in this country is absolutely inadequate. Does Mr Hardiman agree with him?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Delays in Accessing Scoliosis Treatment and Surgery: Discussion (11 Nov 2021)

David Cullinane: Ms Hardiman accepts that the-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Delays in Accessing Scoliosis Treatment and Surgery: Discussion (11 Nov 2021)

David Cullinane: Ms Hardiman accepts that the service is inadequate. He also said that it would be "dishonest", to use his word, to claim that the cyberattack and the impact of Covid-19 are the main drivers of a worsening situation. While he accepted that those events would have had an impact on longer waiting times, he said that the problems predate the onset of Covid-19 and the cyberattack. Yet Ms...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Delays in Accessing Scoliosis Treatment and Surgery: Discussion (11 Nov 2021)

David Cullinane: That is in Ms Hardiman's opening statement. My point though concerns this situation where we have people at the coalface treating children, such as the surgeons who are doing the procedures, saying that it would be "dishonest" to claim that the cyberattack and the impact of Covid-19 are the main drivers of the current situation, a worsening situation and the inadequacy of the service. Would...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Delays in Accessing Scoliosis Treatment and Surgery: Discussion (11 Nov 2021)

David Cullinane: I get that. The problem, though, is that in 2017, the Ombudsman for Children's Office produced a report.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Delays in Accessing Scoliosis Treatment and Surgery: Discussion (11 Nov 2021)

David Cullinane: We had many statements then from the then Minister for Health, and others, and plans and strategies were put in place. In her opening statement, however, Ms Hardiman still referred to more operating theatre capacity being needed and coming. She also spoke about additional beds being needed and coming, and I assume that she is talking about paediatric ICU beds. She also then referred to new...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Delays in Accessing Scoliosis Treatment and Surgery: Discussion (11 Nov 2021)

David Cullinane: My time is up, and I still have not heard what additional capacity will be put in place.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Delays in Accessing Scoliosis Treatment and Surgery: Discussion (11 Nov 2021)

David Cullinane: I will finish by saying that there is a great deal of frustration about this issue because of the impact it has on children. I make no apologies, therefore, for the robustness of my contribution. We must see the details and timescales for everything that Ms Hardiman has outlined.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Delays in Accessing Scoliosis Treatment and Surgery: Discussion (11 Nov 2021)

David Cullinane: I say that because parents and children have heard all this before. Five years on, we are still hearing about more capacity that may be on the way. I do not doubt anything that Ms Hardiman has said about the commitments but we must see action in this regard and these commitments delivered. We must also see the details of all these undertakings in writing, including the beds, the staff and...