Results 6,081-6,100 of 12,424 for speaker:Louise O'Reilly

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Childcare: Impact of Covid-19 (23 Jun 2020)

Louise O'Reilly: That is exactly what it is. It is a hazard of the job. On 26 March in this Chamber, we stood and applauded front-line healthcare workers. I have been contacted by healthcare workers who believed that it was something of an empty gesture because what followed were no firm commitments on childcare. I note from Ms Ní Sheaghdha's submission that one of her members stated childcare was...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Childcare: Impact of Covid-19 (23 Jun 2020)

Louise O'Reilly: The Government announced a plan on 18 May. In the run-up to that and all through April, the Taoiseach said the Government was ready to "push the button", which is the phrase he used, on childcare. Is it correct to say there were no feasible childcare arrangements in place at that time?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Childcare: Impact of Covid-19 (23 Jun 2020)

Louise O'Reilly: They are, and the waiting lists have not gone away. When work resumes to tackle the waiting lists, which I believe are hovering close to 1 million people, every single healthcare worker will be absolutely needed. Am I right in saying there is a link and that low staffing levels inhibit infection control measures?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Childcare: Impact of Covid-19 (23 Jun 2020)

Louise O'Reilly: So they are working all night and looking after their kids all day-----

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Childcare: Impact of Covid-19 (23 Jun 2020)

Louise O'Reilly: -----and keep that up. Nobody can keep that up. This is absolutely disrespectful and it is impossible to work all night and look after kids all day. It is a long time since I had to look after kids at home but it is a hard job to do that all day, particularly for people who are not getting any support at all. For them then to go into dangerous and potentially infectious and hazardous...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Childcare: Impact of Covid-19 (23 Jun 2020)

Louise O'Reilly: It is very wrong for a worker to feel that one must leave kids at home to be able to, or to be forced to, go to work. It is absolutely disgraceful. I joined others standing here in the Chamber in applauding the front-line healthcare workers. I felt at the time it was the right thing to do. I have been contacted by large numbers of front-line healthcare workers who at the time, as Ms...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Childcare: Impact of Covid-19 (23 Jun 2020)

Louise O'Reilly: I agree that they will have a serious impact.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Nursing Homes (Resumed) (18 Jun 2020)

Louise O'Reilly: Yes. This is my first opportunity to speak in the Chamber and I would like to express my sympathy, and that of Sinn Féin, to the family, friends and colleagues of Detective Garda Colm Horkan. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam. I thank the witnesses for coming in again to give evidence this morning. I appreciate that it is a busy time for them. I express my thanks and appreciation...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Nursing Homes (Resumed) (18 Jun 2020)

Louise O'Reilly: On 10 March, when Mr. Daly wrote asking that all transfers would be risk-assessed, medically assessed and tested for Covid-19 at the same time as the acute hospital sector was being emptied in preparation for the expected surge - very necessary work which we do not dispute - that was not done at that stage. In terms of the patients who were moved out, can Mr. Breslin timeline that for me?...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Nursing Homes (Resumed) (18 Jun 2020)

Louise O'Reilly: No, I asked a very specific question about the numbers of people tested.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Nursing Homes (Resumed) (18 Jun 2020)

Louise O'Reilly: Guidance is not a plan. I asked a specific question. How many patients were tested?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Nursing Homes (Resumed) (18 Jun 2020)

Louise O'Reilly: How many of those individual patients were tested?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Nursing Homes (Resumed) (18 Jun 2020)

Louise O'Reilly: How many patients were tested in March?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Nursing Homes (Resumed) (18 Jun 2020)

Louise O'Reilly: I am sorry, but we are under extreme time pressure. This is not like a normal committee, so I am just looking for a number. Of the 819 patients transferred out in March, how many were tested? It is fine if the number is zero. I would just appreciate the number for March.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Nursing Homes (Resumed) (18 Jun 2020)

Louise O'Reilly: In the period up to 10 March, therefore, no testing was taking place, but Mr. Reid is stating that from 10 March the testing would have taken place. Is that the testing that was recommended, as I understand it, in April so that there would be two negative tests before a person would be transferred out, as well as the medical and risk assessment? It is my understanding they were not being...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Nursing Homes (Resumed) (18 Jun 2020)

Louise O'Reilly: People were not tested unless they were symptomatic or unless they fulfilled the case definition. If that is the case, I will go back to my original question. Somebody made a strategic decision to transfer the patients from the acute hospital sector into the nursing home sector. Who was that? Was it done by memorandum or how was it done? The numbers are significant. I appreciate they...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Nursing Homes (Resumed) (18 Jun 2020)

Louise O'Reilly: That is understood. Who made the decision to transfer out the patients? It did not just happen. Somebody sent a memo or direction. Who was that and can we have a copy of the direction that was issued?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Nursing Homes (Resumed) (18 Jun 2020)

Louise O'Reilly: They were made without any national guidance, individual clinicians made that decision. I must tell Dr. Henry that I find that hard to believe.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Congregated Settings: Nursing Homes (Resumed) (18 Jun 2020)

Louise O'Reilly: I have only a few seconds left. No memo was issued to instruct the transfer out of patients to clear space in the hospitals, that was just done on a case-by-case basis by individual clinicians. I do not find that to be a very credible statement. It strikes me that the Department and the HSE had a plan to use the capacity in the nursing home sector but no plan to protect the nursing home...

Covid-19 (Health): Statements (17 Jun 2020)

Louise O'Reilly: I am sharing time in slots of seven, four and four minutes, respectively. If it is okay we will do four and three minutes for my slot, with four minutes for questions and three minutes for answers. Earlier this month my husband was an inpatient in Beaumont Hospital. He had an operation for cancer. He is recovering now and is doing extremely well, but I want to take this opportunity to...