Results 1,561-1,580 of 11,246 for speaker:Colm Burke

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Winter Preparedness in the Hospital System: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Colm Burke: I was contacted by a consultant, not one from the south and south-west area, who only performs operations on a half day per week basis. The consultant's operating time is after lunch once per week. The consultant tries to do three operations but has been advised by staff that, if a patient is not in theatre by 4 p.m., the patient will not be allowed in. Surely there is a need for...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Winter Preparedness in the Hospital System: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Colm Burke: As a result of raising a certain issue, I received an email from a nurse in a particular hospital – again, not in the South/South West Hospital Group area – who complained that, on Sundays and bank holidays, there were three nurse managers in the hospital while there were other days of the week when there was none. I raised the issue because someone who had worked in CUH but...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Winter Preparedness in the Hospital System: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Colm Burke: How can there be disputes? Would a set number not be far more adequate from everyone’s point of view? It would be better for staff members if the proportion of senior people on duty was the same every day, as that would provide the maximum level of assistance to the junior staff.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Winter Preparedness in the Hospital System: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Colm Burke: Maternity services are not a five-day-per-week service. Babies do not only arrive between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. from Monday to Friday. Maternity services have the same ratio regardless of what day of the week it is.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Winter Preparedness in the Hospital System: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Colm Burke: What are we doing about it? Set numbers are already in place in the maternity services. In the 19 maternity hospitals across the country, there is a set number of staff every day of the week because maternity services are seven-day-per-week services. Why can we not introduce set numbers in-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Winter Preparedness in the Hospital System: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Colm Burke: Regarding the health service generally, does Mr. Gloster not believe to some extent that some of the processes have become box-ticking exercises and are not necessarily hands on in trying to get more efficiency?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Winter Preparedness in the Hospital System: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Colm Burke: I wish to raise two further issues. I believe St. Vincent’s University Hospital in Dublin rolled out a team that would visit nursing homes-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Winter Preparedness in the Hospital System: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Colm Burke: -----to ensure people could be looked after there. Has that been rolled out across the country yet? At what stage is it?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Winter Preparedness in the Hospital System: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Colm Burke: It makes the HSE a large saving-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Winter Preparedness in the Hospital System: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Colm Burke: -----by having a team that can assess someone in a nursing home, with that person staying in the nursing home instead of being brought to an accident and emergency unit.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Winter Preparedness in the Hospital System: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Colm Burke: Regarding transfers from nursing homes, there was a sad inquest in Cork recently into someone in a nursing home who had swallowed false teeth, was admitted to hospital, was there for three days and was not examined until the third or fourth day, by which point the person had developed an infection. That person was transferred back to the nursing home to die. If the person had not been...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Winter Preparedness in the Hospital System: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Colm Burke: Where are we with new health centres? How many have we delivered over the past ten years and how many are at planning or building stage?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Winter Preparedness in the Hospital System: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Colm Burke: Can we get the figures?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Winter Preparedness in the Hospital System: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Colm Burke: I thank Mr. Gloster.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Winter Preparedness in the Hospital System: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Colm Burke: I raised a matter here recently regarding representations I got from the Irish Lung Fibrosis Association, ILFA, and I got a briefing from Mr. Mitchell on it. I have received a response from the ILFA stating the information contained in the briefing is incorrect. The ILFA is saying lung fibrosis patients are actively excluded from the vital pulmonary rehabilitation exercise programmes in the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Winter Preparedness in the Hospital System: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Colm Burke: Another issue is that I understand more than 5,000 people are affected by lung fibrosis and there is difficulty with accessing oxygen and supports. Mr. Gloster may not be able to give me the answers in this meeting, but all I am saying to him is that the briefing he asked for, was given and then sent to this committee is inaccurate. This is the information I have and it has come from the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Winter Preparedness in the Hospital System: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Colm Burke: I appreciate that.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Winter Preparedness in the Hospital System: Discussion (22 Nov 2023)

Colm Burke: The next issue I want to raise is one I have raised previously and it is the ratio of people employed in public nursing homes and the number of beds available. My understanding is that in quite a number of public nursing homes, the number of beds was reduced but the staffing levels were not reduced. There was one nursing home in particular in the Laois-Offaly area that I raised. What...