Results 22,921-22,940 of 24,635 for speaker:Mary Harney

Health Service Staff. (23 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: Yes. I believe the association has submitted an application for funding. I understand the association will celebrate its 20th anniversary in May and I hope we can be supportive of that. I spoke last night to the chairman of the HSE who told me that the executive has narrowed the competition to three or four candidates. It is doing profile and other checks on those candidates. He hopes his...

Accident and Emergency Services. (23 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 8, 16, 20, 22, 70 and 99 together. The House is aware of my opinion on the problems being experienced in acute hospitals which provide accident and emergency services. I have announced a number of initiatives aimed at improving the delivery of such services. Progress is being made on each of the ten actions I announced earlier this year. The Health Service...

Accident and Emergency Services. (23 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: I have always made it clear that there are no instant solutions. I did not undertake that all the solutions would be put in place during the first three months of this year.

Accident and Emergency Services. (23 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: Yes, there will be a significant difference. I have said that the Department is about to announce that it has succeeded in acquiring intermediate beds for 500 patients, which will greatly alleviate the pressure on accident and emergency services. Facilities for 100 high-dependency patients, who are currently in the acute hospitals system, will be developed in the next week or so. It is clear...

Accident and Emergency Services. (23 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: It is not satisfactory that wards or beds in any public hospital should have to be closed, other than for reasons relating to health care.

Accident and Emergency Services. (23 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: We will spend over €12 billion this year on the delivery of health care to our relatively young population of over 4 million people. We have to do better with that money — that was the purpose of establishing a new unified system. The allocations for this year, which will be made to individual hospitals soon, will be based on performance and results, which was not the way money was...

Accident and Emergency Services. (23 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: If health care workers take industrial action of that kind, patients will be the only people to suffer.

Accident and Emergency Services. (23 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: That is the sad reality, as I said to the doctors.

Accident and Emergency Services. (23 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: I remind Deputy McManus that the ratio of nurses to patients is higher in this country than anywhere else in the European Union. I mentioned that fact to the INO.

Accident and Emergency Services. (23 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: One of the aspects of the ten-point plan——

Accident and Emergency Services. (23 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: We are trying to ensure that there is a sufficient number of staff to deal with patients.

Accident and Emergency Services. (23 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: Hospital cleanliness is one of the matters addressed in the ten-point plan. We are paying the top price to have our hospitals cleaned. Many cleaning contracts have been outsourced to big contractors, who are receiving huge amounts of money. Nobody is supervising the cleaning work in some cases, but that will change.

Accident and Emergency Services. (23 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: No hospital bed should be closed because of a lack of cleanliness. Everybody is paying big money to have hospitals cleaned. I have asked the director of the National Hospitals Office to introduce a new inspection and audit approach to ensure basic cleanliness in our acute hospitals, which is not too much to expect. I agree that many more people can be treated if hospital beds are put to...

Accident and Emergency Services. (23 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: There is no doubt that the volume of activity in our hospitals has increased significantly. While we must be fair and acknowledge that there are problems in accident and emergency services, they are part of the wider problem in the health system. Some people access hospitals through accident and emergency departments because they cannot access an appropriate outpatient department. There are...

Accident and Emergency Services. (23 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: I apologise for failing to deal with that aspect of Deputy Twomey's contribution. I visited the new accident and emergency facility in Cork. The reason it has not opened has nothing to do with the failure to make resources available but with logistical issues. A date has been set for the opening of the department to which I will ensure Deputy Boyle is invited. If memory serves me correctly,...

Accident and Emergency Services. (23 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: As I do not have responsibility for the Health and Safety Authority, I do not have responsibility for its report. If the report is made available to me, I will have no difficulty publishing it. I am sure it will be obtainable under freedom of information provisions. It is not a matter on which legal advice will need to be taken. The capital programme is being finalised and will be announced...

Hospital Services. (23 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: I propose to take Questions Nos. 9, 13, 18, 67, 79, 89, 108, 110, 114, and 118 together. Mobility of key personnel is a regular feature of the hospital system as demonstrated by the ease with which medical staff transfer from prestigious hospitals abroad to take up positions in Ireland. It is also the case that medical consultants in various oncology disciplines, including medical oncology,...

Hospital Services. (23 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: The whole intention is to improve the quality of services at regional level. In the case of the dedicated oncology ward, we need such a facility at Cork University Hospital. It is intended that a dedicated oncology ward will be provided when the new day ward is opened. I hope that will happen soon. A replacement consultant will be sought as quickly as possible. In regard to BreastCheck, I...

Hospital Services. (23 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: I will come back to the Deputy on that. I am having inquiries made.

Leaders' Questions. (23 Mar 2005)

Mary Harney: The briefing simply told me that the Minister is awaiting the report but I understand that a draft of the report has been circulated in the interests of natural justice. If the report bears out what the Deputy is saying, and I am not casting doubt in any way on what he has said, then it is a total disgrace. All the forces of the State will have to be brought to bear on this issue to ensure it...