Results 9,881-9,900 of 26,430 for speaker:David Cullinane

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Infection Rate among Healthcare Workers (Resumed) (21 Jul 2020)

David Cullinane: I apologise to Dr. Cuddihy. Notwithstanding that we may not be comparing like with like, he must accept that there were very high levels of infection among healthcare workers in this State. Leaving aside the differences in comparisons, it is very high in European terms. I asked why the rate was so high for front-line workers in Ireland, leaving aside other variations that may not be fair....

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Infection Rate among Healthcare Workers (Resumed) (21 Jul 2020)

David Cullinane: I will ask a follow-up question. We heard very strong testimony from the trade unions this morning. One issue that came across was the directive given to front-line workers not to wear masks. The INMO said that at least one member of staff was disciplined for wearing a mask and that was a huge concern. Why was that decision made and that directive given to nurses and front-line staff not...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Infection Rate among Healthcare Workers (Resumed) (21 Jul 2020)

David Cullinane: Basically, Dr. Sisson is saying that the decision to advise healthcare workers not to wear masks in the early stages was taken by NPHET and not the HSE. Is that what she is saying?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Infection Rate among Healthcare Workers (Resumed) (21 Jul 2020)

David Cullinane: Okay. I will move on-----

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Infection Rate among Healthcare Workers (Resumed) (21 Jul 2020)

David Cullinane: I have many questions to ask and I only have a few minutes.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Infection Rate among Healthcare Workers (Resumed) (21 Jul 2020)

David Cullinane: The advice changed.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Infection Rate among Healthcare Workers (Resumed) (21 Jul 2020)

David Cullinane: What I am putting to the witnesses is what was said to us this morning by the trade unions that represent those staff. They said that their staff were told not to wear masks and that in a number of incidences, members of staff were disciplined for doing so. We can argue about the timeframes but what we have heard from the previous witness is that a decision was made by NPHET whereby it was...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Covid-19: Infection Rate among Healthcare Workers (Resumed) (21 Jul 2020)

David Cullinane: If Dr. Sisson and Mr. Woods read the submissions the trade unions made to the committee, they will see they are calling for the HSA to have a much greater role in occupational health issues in healthcare settings. They should examine this and support the recommendations they have made. My final question for Mr. Woods goes back to a discussion we had earlier this week. All unions were...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Non-Covid Healthcare Disruption: Waiting Lists and Screening (17 Jul 2020)

David Cullinane: I welcome Ms Morrogh and Ms Clyne. I thank them for the kind words expressed about our front-line staff across all our healthcare settings. As a committee and as Oireachtas Members we have to look at a health catch-up programme that includes acute care across a range of specialties and we are looking at mental health services and older people. Obviously there are challenges for the...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Non-Covid Healthcare Disruption: Waiting Lists and Screening (17 Jul 2020)

David Cullinane: I thank Ms Morrogh. She said earlier that before Covid, we already had untimely access to diagnostics and we now have a backlog, which creates more problems and challenges. The HSE will tell us today that it accepts that there is a developing backlog of cases, including in the four main screening programmes, including cancer. It says that this backlog will now have to be cleared in a Covid...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Non-Covid Healthcare Disruption: Waiting Lists and Screening (17 Jul 2020)

David Cullinane: If we do not take urgent action, the dire situation is that, unfortunately, people will die of cancer prematurely because of a lack of a diagnosis. Is that the case?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Non-Covid Healthcare Disruption: Waiting Lists and Screening (17 Jul 2020)

David Cullinane: I see that in Ms Morrogh's submission and opening statement she refers to public awareness campaigns to encourage people to get screened and checked, and to have a diagnosis. If the capacity is not there, the screening services are not up and running, and people are contacting the programmes but not hearing back, that will add to their stress. Ms Morrogh is right in saying that we need to...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Non-Covid Healthcare Disruption: Waiting Lists and Screening (17 Jul 2020)

David Cullinane: That is an important point and I accept it. I just want to put a further two questions to Ms Clyne because we are tight on time. There is an awful lot I would like to ask about, but we are confined by the time limits. Ms Clyne mentioned preparation for the winter flu season and what will happen with the added concern of Covid-19. Those concerns relate to vaccinations and how they are...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Non-Covid Healthcare Disruption: Waiting Lists and Screening (Resumed) (17 Jul 2020)

David Cullinane: I welcome all of our witnesses. I will start with Mr. Woods. This afternoon, I commended the Irish Cancer Society and the IMO on what were substantial and helpful briefing documents. I also want to commend the HSE because the document it has sent is helpful and expansive. I want to thank the HSE for that first and foremost. Did Mr. Woods hear the committee's exchanges this morning with...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Non-Covid Healthcare Disruption: Waiting Lists and Screening (Resumed) (17 Jul 2020)

David Cullinane: Did Mr. Woods read their opening statements or submissions?

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Non-Covid Healthcare Disruption: Waiting Lists and Screening (Resumed) (17 Jul 2020)

David Cullinane: There was a deep frustration coming from both organisations, which I will go through in a moment. It strikes me that at this point there are three strands to healthcare delivery, namely: dealing with Covid-19 care; dealing with non-Covid-19 care, which is all of the modalities of care from acute care to primary care, mental healthcare and community care settings and so on; and the need for a...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Non-Covid Healthcare Disruption: Waiting Lists and Screening (Resumed) (17 Jul 2020)

David Cullinane: My point is that there is a question of how in God's name we will roll out a catch-up programme if we have increased levels of Covid-19 in our acute hospitals, as well as all of the ongoing day-to-day non-Covid-19 care that would have to happen anyway. That brings me to my first question on capacity. The Irish Cancer Society and the IMO, like many other organisations, are calling for...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Non-Covid Healthcare Disruption: Waiting Lists and Screening (Resumed) (17 Jul 2020)

David Cullinane: I am asking about additional capacity beyond that again.

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Non-Covid Healthcare Disruption: Waiting Lists and Screening (Resumed) (17 Jul 2020)

David Cullinane: I want to ask about staffing because that is the physical side of the question covered. That depends on what happens and on the extent of what happens so we will have to see the colour of the money in the context of what that means. On staffing, from a combination of Be on Call for Ireland, the return of retired and overseas staff and locum cover, how many additional staff were brought into...

Special Committee on Covid-19 Response: Non-Covid Healthcare Disruption: Waiting Lists and Screening (Resumed) (17 Jul 2020)

David Cullinane: Will Mr. Woods provide the committee with a breakdown of those posts in categories? How much does that cost? One of the things we know is that we did not have enough capacity in the public system. Now that we have 3,271 additional staff who have come into the system, they need to be maintained insofar as is possible. Those who need to be kept in their positions should be kept on. What...