Results 12,921-12,940 of 49,836 for speaker:Stephen Donnelly

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 38 - Health (Further Revised) (19 Apr 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: Does that include contract cleaning, catering, security in hospitals and all of that as well?

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 38 - Health (Further Revised) (19 Apr 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: Is it section 38 and 39 organisations? Or section 39 organisations?

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 38 - Health (Further Revised) (19 Apr 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: Bear with me for one second.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 38 - Health (Further Revised) (19 Apr 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: The accounts do not have a specific line item because the section 39 organisations involved are across mental health, disabilities and lots of other things. I will revert with a note bringing it all together.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 38 - Health (Further Revised) (19 Apr 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: Yes, there is. An important report has already been done. The Deputy will be aware that the expert review was done and a lot of money has been allocated in this budget to implementing its recommendations. It was done specifically in the context of Covid where there were lessons we could learn really quickly. It is a really good report.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 38 - Health (Further Revised) (19 Apr 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: That is the first thing. Second, the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, who is leading in this area, is spending a lot of time on home care and the interRAI system. We have pilots all over the country. We will be moving to a position where home care will be on a much more standardised basis and standardised to the needs of the person at home. HIQA will be beginning to look at regulation...

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 38 - Health (Further Revised) (19 Apr 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: Yes, it would. But in terms of large congregated settings it is another one of the things that is happening. On the final point, the answer is yes. The commission on care will be set up in the coming months. Myself and the Minister of State, Deputy Butler are very involved in that and have been looking at its terms of reference. It is to address exactly the points that the Deputy is...

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 38 - Health (Further Revised) (19 Apr 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: Right.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 38 - Health (Further Revised) (19 Apr 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: That is fair. On home support, 21 million hours were provided last year.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 38 - Health (Further Revised) (19 Apr 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: By the summer.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 38 - Health (Further Revised) (19 Apr 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: I can, but I must locate the page and revert to the Deputy. While one of my officials searches for the page, I suggest that the Deputy ask another question.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 38 - Health (Further Revised) (19 Apr 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: I have to be careful about what I say because there is nothing in place with the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform. Anything of that nature would have to be done by means of a public sector pay agreement. Broadly speaking, there have never been more people in the HSE. I know we talk about a recruitment crisis but, in fact, we have just had...

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 38 - Health (Further Revised) (19 Apr 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: Yes, and we do it here.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 38 - Health (Further Revised) (19 Apr 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: No. We pay advance nurse practitioners more. Although I do not have the figures, I understand that there is a recognition that critical care nursing and emergency department nursing are some of the most difficult parts of the health service in which to work.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 38 - Health (Further Revised) (19 Apr 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: Yes. I will get the Deputy a more detailed breakdown. The capital provision for construction and equipment is €967 million, and there is more involved to bring it up to the total amount. Some of the big projects are as follows: the national children's hospital; the national maternity hospital; the new elective hospitals; the additional critical care beds; the additional acute or...

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 38 - Health (Further Revised) (19 Apr 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: I can give the figure that applies to the start of 2020 so that is pre Covid. We have got an extra 65 beds. That is an increase of 25%, from 258 to 323 beds. We will provide another 29 beds this year, which will give us a total increase of 94 beds or a 36% increase.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 38 - Health (Further Revised) (19 Apr 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: That is right. We are moving now from phase 1 to phase 2. Phase 1 put extra critical care capacity in many different places as quickly as possible. Phase 2 is more strategic. It is in line with the national strategy whereby we are creating centres of excellence or critical care hubs and building them out.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Services 2023
Vote 38 - Health (Further Revised) (19 Apr 2023)

Stephen Donnelly: It can. We have now put in place a lot of infrastructure for these three layers. The view of the clinicians is to re-examine the matter once we have the supports in place for the GPs and fully staffed teams for the secondary care and really specialist care. We also have the 21 one-stop see-and-treat and gynaecology clinics. There is a whole new network of support and expertise in place...