Results 15,941-15,960 of 74,100 for speaker:Bernard Durkan

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

Bernard Durkan: Essentially, my question was to what extent Ms Ní Sheaghdha was reassured by the increased strength of general nursing staff in the period during which a considerable increase in health staff numbers took place throughout the country. Was she disappointed with the degree to which nursing staff increased or was she pleased that, proportionately, staffing levels in the nursing sector were...

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

Bernard Durkan: That is not the case.

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

Bernard Durkan: Out of the total number of new staff appointed before the moratorium, nursing levels were increased by a proportion. My question was and is whether that was sufficient or if it was lower than required. We believe that it was, but we have not seen the information to back that up.

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

Bernard Durkan: That is not true.

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

Bernard Durkan: Deputy Colm Burke has already outlined the total number of extra staff employed by the health services. This is not a criticism of anybody. It is simply an effort to ascertain to what extent the staffing levels of nurses were increased, and whether that was in proportion to the general increase of 20,000 or whatever it was.

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

Bernard Durkan: I was not asking for a comparison with 2007.

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

Bernard Durkan: On the concerns expressed about staff in various situations throughout the country being reluctant to report with symptoms on the basis that they might be disadvantaged or that they might have competing needs, does SIPTU have documented evidence to that effect? If so, how widespread was that?

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

Bernard Durkan: Time is running out.

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

Bernard Durkan: The next slot is my own. I agree that we have a capacity issue. It has been there for a considerable time and has been growing. We also have a staffing issue and the added complication of people being paid at different levels within the system. That has been a result of issues largely outside the command of most people. I have some questions. Do the witnesses support the concept of a...

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

Bernard Durkan: I referred to the short, medium and long-term plan because I have been associated with the health services for generations at this stage. It is only in recent times that we heard of the lack of capacity of physical buildings and, obviously, the follow-on in staff. It is only in recent years we were told there were too many beds. Yet, it was obvious to most of us that this was not the case....

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

Bernard Durkan: No, I am in the hands of the Chairman.

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

Bernard Durkan: I have already raised the question on capacity, the priorities and the manner in which we should set about achieving the necessary capacities. The IMO stated that it had been putting this issue for the last ten years. I have been at health meetings in the last five years where the suggestion that we had an over-capacity in beds came up again and again. I did not believe that at the time. ...

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

Bernard Durkan: I am easy Chairman, as always. Will I have five or ten minutes?

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

Bernard Durkan: I presume I will have ten minutes. I welcome our witnesses and am glad to renew our acquaintances, it is not so long since we met in different capacities, in a different time, in a different era. A few things have come to mind which were raised in the earlier session. They concern the challenges facing the delivery of health services at present. The Irish Medical Organisation, IMO,...

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

Bernard Durkan: Have staff levels at consultant level been adequately replaced or replenished?

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

Bernard Durkan: Concern was expressed about the need to provide cancer care services and screening in the present climate to restore to the required levels the screening and diagnostics needed, and at the same time provide for, perhaps, a second wave with regard to the pandemic. Are sufficient provisions in place to be able to withstand both challenges at the same time?

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

Bernard Durkan: At the present time, it is suggested that considerable numbers of people are awaiting oncology results or tests and could be on a waiting list for some considerable time, which is obviously not a good place to be. It is the same with regard to endoscopy services. To what extent are the witnesses monitoring the requirements there? What actions are they taking, or have they taken already, to...

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

Bernard Durkan: Am I out of time?

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

Bernard Durkan: I am out of time, not for the first time in my life.

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

Bernard Durkan: We are out of time and we have to move on to the next speaker, Deputy Cullinane.