Results 27,881-27,900 of 49,836 for speaker:Stephen Donnelly

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Implementation of Sláintecare: Discussion (6 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: I wanted the group because I wanted to hear from the front line. When we are doing the reorganisation, people working in the organisation must buy into it for it to work.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Implementation of Sláintecare: Discussion (6 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: This group was specifically set up to hear from the front line but I certainly share the Deputy's view. It was my amendment to the establishment of the HSE board that looked to include patient voices and indeed front-line clinical voices as well so I agree fully with the principle. However, it is not the purpose of this advisory group.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Implementation of Sláintecare: Discussion (6 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: The strong recommendation from Laura Magahy and the Sláintecare team was that we have day case, outpatient and diagnostics but that we do not have inpatient. When I discussed this with the Sláintecare team because the local clinicians have a different view and want inpatient beds, the rationale I was given was that these elective hospitals are about seeing as many patients as...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Implementation of Sláintecare: Discussion (6 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: So the view was that the inpatient capacity could essentially do the same thing. A surgeon arrives for his or her list on a Monday morning and all the patients are there. However, they need beds at the far side of the operating theatre but because there is a finite number of inpatient beds, they are not there and the list has to be cancelled.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Implementation of Sláintecare: Discussion (6 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: The recommendation and rationale from the Sláintecare team was that in excess of 60% of procedures could be done through day cases and that in doing that and pulling all of that work out of the model four hospitals freed up beds and operating theatres for more complex work. No final decisions have been made. It is an ongoing debate and I am receiving strong views from two different...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Implementation of Sláintecare: Discussion (6 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: Is the Deputy asking if there will be an external oversight group?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Implementation of Sláintecare: Discussion (6 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: What would that look like?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Implementation of Sláintecare: Discussion (6 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: It is an interesting question. The reporting to date has been done by the director and by the implementation team. They have done a pretty good and thorough job in terms of implementation.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Implementation of Sláintecare: Discussion (6 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: I am not looking at setting up another external group that would then report on the work being done by the board, if that is the question.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Implementation of Sláintecare: Discussion (6 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: Having spent a year and half in government and seeing how it works, and what works well and what does not, if we had followed that recommendation, which the previous Government did not follow, Sláintecare would not be happening; we would not be at a 97% score. The Department of the Taoiseach cannot implement universal healthcare.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Implementation of Sláintecare: Discussion (6 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: If the Deputy is asking whether there is a direct line of accountability, the answer is "Yes".

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Implementation of Sláintecare: Discussion (6 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: The part of this that is important is accountability. Is there a direct line of accountability? The answer is "Yes". This board reports to me. I provide the oversight and I report to Cabinet and Cabinet provides the oversight.

Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2021: Motion (5 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: We are talking about extending a safety net for about 11 weeks on the advice of Chief Medical Officer and I believe all of us will agree that he has advised us well. A reasonable argument has been made by colleagues that if this is needed, Deputies could come back to the House and legislate. I want to take us back to what happened in the week before Christmas last year to show how quickly...

Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2021: Motion (5 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: I ask Deputies to consider their position on the proposal. It is a safety net.

Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2021: Motion (5 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: It is a safety net lasting for about 11 weeks and it is being done on the advice of the Chief Medical Officer.

Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2021: Motion (5 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: If we had another situation, such as the one we had on the Friday evening of the week before Christmas, this would allow us to move quickly. That is all it is. The measure only applies to hospitality and indoor hospitality were it to be invoked. I ask Deputies to reflect on that. If the majority of us were to vote for and support this proposal, it would send another message of...

Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2021: Motion (5 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: I will start by adding my voice to the words spoken from across the House on the vaccine programme, by giving thanks from Dáil Éireann to the women and men all over Ireland who worked so hard to create this extraordinary success for our nation. It really has been a national effort. The HSE was involved with the Department of Health, the Defence Forces, GPs, the private sector,...

Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2021: Motion (5 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: It is imperative always that Members of the House take the opportunity-----

Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2021: Motion (5 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: -----to debate this legislation because it is very serious. I will try to address some of the questions Deputies asked. Deputy Ward asked a reasonable question about the mental health provisions. That power is due to expire on 9 November. The Mental Health Commission is not looking for it to be extended and I am not recommending that it be extended. That power will be extinguished on...

Health (Amendment) (No. 2) Act 2021: Motion (5 Oct 2021)

Stephen Donnelly: Just for clarification, Deputy Griffin is talking to me, as is Deputy Norma Foley.