Results 4,121-4,140 of 49,836 for speaker:Stephen Donnelly

Committee on Public Petitions: Reopening of Ennis, Nenagh and St. John's Emergency Departments: Discussion (23 May 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: We are going to finalise them once we have the report from Mr. Justice Frank Clarke. As you will appreciate-----

Committee on Public Petitions: Reopening of Ennis, Nenagh and St. John's Emergency Departments: Discussion (23 May 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: It is due in the next few weeks. As you will appreciate, it is a very thorough-----

Committee on Public Petitions: Reopening of Ennis, Nenagh and St. John's Emergency Departments: Discussion (23 May 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: We can check the dates but I am expecting it in the next few weeks. I am sure the Deputy will agree that in setting the terms of reference for what is a very important report, we should be cognisant of whatever comes out of the report by Mr. Justice Frank Clarke. We are going to set those terms and then we will talk to HIQA about timing. On the political point, I understand why the Deputy...

Committee on Public Petitions: Reopening of Ennis, Nenagh and St. John's Emergency Departments: Discussion (23 May 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: The number of patients on trolleys was falling. This year, what we are seeing is a very significant reduction in patients on trolleys all over the country. In total contrast, UHL, completely on its own, has had a 40% increase. It is in response to this year's increase that I have asked HIQA to do this review.

Committee on Public Petitions: Reopening of Ennis, Nenagh and St. John's Emergency Departments: Discussion (23 May 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: I cannot do an extra half hour but maybe we can do an extra 15 minutes.

Committee on Public Petitions: Reopening of Ennis, Nenagh and St. John's Emergency Departments: Discussion (23 May 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Deputy. Before we can say when the report will come back, we need to have the terms of reference. The terms of reference will determine the extent of the work that has to be done. I want to be sure that we incorporate what there is to be learned from retired Mr. Justice Frank Clarke's report. The process is that the report comes into the chief executive and I will have view of...

Committee on Public Petitions: Reopening of Ennis, Nenagh and St. John's Emergency Departments: Discussion (23 May 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: In terms of any individual roles, which cannot currently be replaced by the embargo, what I would say is that I am aware of that. I speak to front-line clinicians on a regular basis who are saying it is making it harder, not every where but in some places, to run their services and I fully appreciate that. We are working to unwind the embargo. I never wanted to put it in place. It is only...

Committee on Public Petitions: Reopening of Ennis, Nenagh and St. John's Emergency Departments: Discussion (23 May 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: I think part of the rationale for the HIQA review is the fact that the mid-west region has grown. As colleagues will be aware, it is by a long way the smallest region when we look at the HSE regions. It is about half the size of the next smallest region. On the points Deputy Shortall was making that there are not the model three hospitals, we are looking at that. Part of the historic...

Committee on Public Petitions: Reopening of Ennis, Nenagh and St. John's Emergency Departments: Discussion (23 May 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: I am not sure Senator Gavan got the memo. I think he might have missed that bit. I think it might have to be put in Senator Gavan's pigeon hole.

Committee on Public Petitions: Reopening of Ennis, Nenagh and St. John's Emergency Departments: Discussion (23 May 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: Sorry to interrupt the Deputy, could I ask which-----

Committee on Public Petitions: Reopening of Ennis, Nenagh and St. John's Emergency Departments: Discussion (23 May 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: Yes, sorry.

Committee on Public Petitions: Reopening of Ennis, Nenagh and St. John's Emergency Departments: Discussion (23 May 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Deputy for the questions. In terms of senior decision-makers on site, it was my experience when I started visiting UHL that there were not senior decision-makers rostered on site out of hours and at the weekends. When I spoke to the nurses in the emergency department and the non-consultant hospital doctors, NCHDs, they said their single biggest concern was being left from Friday...

Committee on Public Petitions: Reopening of Ennis, Nenagh and St. John's Emergency Departments: Discussion (23 May 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: I am sorry. Deputy Lowry asked if the decision was going to be overturned. I can categorically say that it will not be overturned. This is a patient safety issue. I know Deputy Kelly has been talking to various people but this is a decision that has been made. It is not up for review. We have to do it to keep people, including people from Tipperary and Nenagh, safe should they to go the...

Committee on Public Petitions: Reopening of Ennis, Nenagh and St. John's Emergency Departments: Discussion (23 May 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: I beg the Deputy's pardon but will he say that again? I was just taking a note on his previous question.

Committee on Public Petitions: Reopening of Ennis, Nenagh and St. John's Emergency Departments: Discussion (23 May 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Senator very much. The HIQA reforms will be informed entirely by HIQA looking at the data. It will look at the population and population densities. I imagine it will do a lot of interviews with front-line clinicians. I have no doubt it will engage with the HSE. It will conduct an independent expert review. I very deliberately asked HIQA to do this rather than any other body....

Committee on Public Petitions: Reopening of Ennis, Nenagh and St. John's Emergency Departments: Discussion (23 May 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: You could have both. HIQA is entirely independent. It is the independent regulator. Will it discuss these matters with people like the Senator? He and I have talked about Clare and the mid-west every week for several years. He has been making the case for more investment in UHL and the region, including in his own county, for years. I imagine that HIQA will listen to elected...

Committee on Public Petitions: Reopening of Ennis, Nenagh and St. John's Emergency Departments: Discussion (23 May 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: She is in there and she is working with the clinical body to try to change things. I will give the Senator one very quick observation. I have been in all of the emergency departments around the country, both those that are working well and those that are not. From what I hear from our clinicians, the single biggest difference between those that are doing well and those that are not is...

Committee on Public Petitions: Reopening of Ennis, Nenagh and St. John's Emergency Departments: Discussion (23 May 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: Considering the scale of the amount of money we are putting into UHL, that would be a very modest investment. There would be no problem with that.

Committee on Public Petitions: Reopening of Ennis, Nenagh and St. John's Emergency Departments: Discussion (23 May 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: I will make a quick point and then I will ask Dr. McNamara to come in specifically on that operational aspect of the emergency department. I have met the emergency department team in UHL many times. I have been blown away by their dedication to their patients and the fact that they are working at it. They believe things can get better with this additional capacity of more doctors, more...

Committee on Public Petitions: Reopening of Ennis, Nenagh and St. John's Emergency Departments: Discussion (23 May 2024)

Stephen Donnelly: I thank the Senator. I have seen the reports and the clinical advice that said the emergency departments at the time were unsafe. HIQA stated that these were simply not safe to run. That will have been in part due to the scale of the hospitals behind them and the need for multidisciplinary care. Where I believe the mistake was made was not investing the kind of capacity that we are...