Results 16,381-16,400 of 49,836 for speaker:Stephen Donnelly

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Service 2022
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (Resumed) (6 Dec 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: The committee asked for a note outlining a future projection. The Department has now contacted the State Claims Agency and asked for that. The advice I have is that it will take a bit of time because it is, in actuarial and mathematical terms, quite complex to work through all the moving parts on rates of return, inflation and so forth. I understand that the committee has requested an...

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Service 2022
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (Resumed) (6 Dec 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: Specifically on the issue we were debating about the amendment, which is where a lot of focus will be, a note is being prepared.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Service 2022
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (Resumed) (6 Dec 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: I agree with the Deputy in that I would like to see quicker progress on this, for all the reasons we have discussed, the main one relating to patient safety. An updated incident management framework was launched in 2020 and is being built on. Officials are working with the national women and infants health programme. A new serious patient safety team is in place but, as the Taoiseach...

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Service 2022
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (Resumed) (6 Dec 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: I am putting one together. The intended progress was, unfortunately, blown off course by Covid but we are putting together a timetable.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Service 2022
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (Resumed) (6 Dec 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: We will have something early in the new year.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Service 2022
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (Resumed) (6 Dec 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: I appreciate that.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Service 2022
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (Resumed) (6 Dec 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: I would not disagree with any of that.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Service 2022
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (Resumed) (6 Dec 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: There are two points I will make in response. First, we are cognisant of the vacancies, particularly in specific areas. The Minister of State, Deputy Butler, spends a lot of time on, for example, child and adolescent mental health services, CAMHS. It has been a significant challenge to hire into CAMHS and into the progressing disability services for children and young people programme....

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Service 2022
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (Resumed) (6 Dec 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: The Deputy asked me why we are where we are-----

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Service 2022
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (Resumed) (6 Dec 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: I am trying to answer the question.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Service 2022
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (Resumed) (6 Dec 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: I do not mean to talk across the Deputy. Can I speak to it? That is a fair challenge. The NCHD working group is up and running, is doing good work and changes have already been made. We will have a new consultant contract in place soon and it will be an attractive contract.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Service 2022
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (Resumed) (6 Dec 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: Safe staffing is moving very well. The expert review of nursing and midwifery is being implemented at pace. The Deputy will be aware that we are advertising now for a chief health and social care professional officer. There is a lot of work going on.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Service 2022
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (Resumed) (6 Dec 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: That is a fair question. The second point I would make is, yes, we would all prefer if there were no vacancies. The HSE and the Government ultimately overestimated how many people could be hired into the service this year. Clearly that is the case. Since Covid started 16,000 more healthcare professionals work in the HSE and that has never happened before.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Service 2022
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (Resumed) (6 Dec 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: The figure of €151 million was the initial estimate by the Department of what would be needed during the year. As part of the Estimates process, when one adds up all the various pieces such as PPE, testing and tracing, vaccines and so forth a lower provisional figure was agreed of €500 million with the understanding that if there was a significant wave, which we had with...

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Service 2022
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (Resumed) (6 Dec 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: I am aware of the issue and of the HSE's position. I have spoken to the HSE at a senior level about the matter. It is the HSE's view rather than the departmental view. This is not a political call but a clinical judgment. I am more than happy to take up the issue again and talk to the HSE about it in the coming days.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Service 2022
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (Resumed) (6 Dec 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: I am more than happy to ask for an update. We will receive clinical advice on this clinic and the others. Certainly, my only objective is to make sure that anyone who is dealing with long Covid, and we are learning more about long Covid all the time, can access the appropriate care and supports. I am more than happy to ask for an update on the HSE's thinking on this and the proposed model...

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Service 2022
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (Resumed) (6 Dec 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: That is correct.

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Service 2022
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (Resumed) (6 Dec 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: It just reflects that a large amount of money was allocated and that a large amount of money has been spent. The number went up quite a lot for this year. It will go up again substantially for next year, partly in response to the cyberattack to increase security and patient information protections, and partly because we need a fundamentally different infrastructure to bring all the patient...

Select Committee on Health: Estimates for Public Service 2022
Vote 38 - Health (Supplementary) (Resumed) (6 Dec 2022)

Stephen Donnelly: We are a bit away.