Results 6,461-6,480 of 11,702 for speaker:Colm Burke

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Tests (15 Dec 2021)

Colm Burke: 151. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if consideration will be given to the inclusion of students at higher education institutions that are members of an association (details supplied) in the public health free rapid antigen tests initiative in view of these institutions releasing their students to ease the staffing crisis in public primary schools and in early years settings; and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Covid-19 Tests (15 Dec 2021)

Colm Burke: 152. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason students at higher education institutions that are members of an association (details supplied) are to be excluded from the public health free rapid antigen tests given the Exchequer is providing free rapid antigen testing to international and European Union students studying in publicly funded higher education institutions who may...

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Staff (15 Dec 2021)

Colm Burke: 175. To ask the Minister for Health the number of persons employed within the health service, by categories (details supplied), for the year ending 31 December, in each of the years 2014 to 2020 and at 30 October 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62029/21]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Ambulance Services: Discussion (15 Dec 2021)

Colm Burke: I thank our guests for their presentation and for all the work they are doing. I am sure they are dealing with very challenging situations on a daily basis. I thank them for the care and service they provide. I want to touch on two issues. One is turnaround times at hospitals. Does the ambulance service sit down and discuss the issues with management? Are the front-line medical people...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Ambulance Services: Discussion (15 Dec 2021)

Colm Burke: Yes. Would Mr. Kenny deal with the issue I raised about the link with hospitals? Is that link purely with management or are the front-line staff in accident and emergency departments such as the nurses and doctors involved in those discussions? I have heard from ambulance personnel that they have a solution but they are not being listened to.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Ambulance Services: Discussion (15 Dec 2021)

Colm Burke: It is all fine engaging with management and ambulance personnel identifying solutions and conveying them to management, but are those solutions being conveyed down the line? Is there a three-way engagement between medical staff, management and the ambulance service? That is the question I am asking.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Ambulance Services: Discussion (15 Dec 2021)

Colm Burke: Is that not a real flaw in the system?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Ambulance Services: Discussion (15 Dec 2021)

Colm Burke: Is Mr. Kenny aware of that happening? He spoke about the situation in Kerry. Is he aware of that level of engagement in, say, Cork or Limerick?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Ambulance Services: Discussion (15 Dec 2021)

Colm Burke: Does Mr. Kenny accept it would be better if there was joined-up thinking and management and the front-line medical people, namely, the nurses, doctors and care assistants in accident and emergency departments, also attended those meetings or at least part of them, rather than medical people being dealt with at third hand after the ambulance management talk to hospital management?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Ambulance Services: Discussion (15 Dec 2021)

Colm Burke: Can I ask Mr. Kenny-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Ambulance Services: Discussion (15 Dec 2021)

Colm Burke: I have a further question on unnecessary ambulance call-outs. The figures from Dublin Fire Brigade show there were 8,532 calls in November 2020 whereas there were 12,657 in November 2021, an increase of more than 4,000. That is a substantial increase in one year for the same month. Is there any explanation for that dramatic increase in a 12-month period? Could some of those people have...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Ambulance Services: Discussion (15 Dec 2021)

Colm Burke: From feedback from staff and colleagues, has Mr. McEvoy found that ambulance services are sometimes called out unnecessarily, with the result that much valuable time is being used in circumstances where people could have availed of other transport to reach medical facilities?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Ambulance Services: Discussion (15 Dec 2021)

Colm Burke: I thank Mr. Kenny.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Ambulance Services: Discussion (15 Dec 2021)

Colm Burke: Fair point. I thank the witnesses.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Ambulance Services: Discussion (15 Dec 2021)

Colm Burke: I thank the witnesses for their presentations and the work they are doing in this area. I want to touch on an issue I raised at the previous session on co-ordination between the National Ambulance Service and hospitals. The reply I received was that while the front-line ambulance personnel and their representatives communicate with hospital management it does not appear to be a three-way...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Ambulance Services: Discussion (15 Dec 2021)

Colm Burke: That is not the question I am asking. My point is what happens after a problem with delays is identified where ambulances are held up in hospitals seems to be a two-way process between the ambulance and the hospital management. The front-line medical people do not appear to be involved in the discussion to resolve the problem.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Ambulance Services: Discussion (15 Dec 2021)

Colm Burke: That is the evidence that was given to us this morning. The person who gave us this evidence is a front-line worker in the ambulance service.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Ambulance Services: Discussion (15 Dec 2021)

Colm Burke: I apologise for interrupting but the evidence from the ambulance people this morning was that when a problem is identified, they deal with management only and there is not a three-way process. Perhaps this may be in only one part of the country; I am not sure. Is there a monthly meeting between people on the front line on the medical side, people on the front line on the ambulance side and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Ambulance Services: Discussion (15 Dec 2021)

Colm Burke: Does Dr. O'Donnell think more could be done in this area? From the evidence this morning, the indication that was given was that more could be done in this area.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Ambulance Services: Discussion (15 Dec 2021)

Colm Burke: I want to raise an issue that I also raised earlier. It is with regard to demand for the ambulance service and a report from Dublin Fire Brigade. The number of call outs in November 2020 was 8,532 and in November 2021, the number was 12,657 call outs. This is an increase of more than 4,000. Is there any reason for such a change in the same month of the year? There is such a change for the...