Results 1,781-1,800 of 11,183 for speaker:Colm Burke

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services (24 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: 594. To ask the Minister for Health when an increase to the fees payable to contractors for a standard eye examination under the community ophthalmic services scheme will be implemented, in view of the fact that he gave a commitment to implement this change in 2023; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46535/23]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Consideration and Implications of 2024 Health Services Funding: Discussion (24 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: I thank the witnesses for their presentations. My first question is for Mr. Watt and relates to his opening statement. He spoke about the increase in the budget over the last seven years from €4.6 billion to €8.1 billion. If one takes inflation into account, however, while there is an increase in real terms in the number of staff and so on, the same percentage increase has...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Consideration and Implications of 2024 Health Services Funding: Discussion (24 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: If you have inefficiencies arising in the system, and the amount has gone from €4.4 billion to €8.1 billion, surely there is a need to tackle that. Some of the examples I am getting from hospitals include consultants not turning up to clinics and clinics being run by registrars or senior registrars. I was given an example by a nurse who moved to the UK. When she worked in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Consideration and Implications of 2024 Health Services Funding: Discussion (24 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: This is a case where the ratio was not the same and it depended on which day of the week it was, for example, whether it was the weekend, whereas in the UK, there is a set ratio of senior and junior people. How does the Department now deal with that?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Consideration and Implications of 2024 Health Services Funding: Discussion (24 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: -----it is not safe.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Consideration and Implications of 2024 Health Services Funding: Discussion (24 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: This is the argument that was put to me and is one of the reasons this person left and went to the UK.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Consideration and Implications of 2024 Health Services Funding: Discussion (24 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: Mr. Gloster accepts that we have had an increase in population of 40% in the past 23 years. Therefore, there is greater demand on services. The last thing we need is inefficiency in the system, even when we have put more money into it. Does Mr. Gloster agree that more work needs to be done on it? For example, are there checks and balances regarding who is turning up to clinics to see if...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Consideration and Implications of 2024 Health Services Funding: Discussion (24 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: I know that. The point I am making is that it is clearly set out in their contract that they have to do so many clinics. I am saying that the information coming back to me suggests that certain people are not complying with the terms of their contracts. That is what I am saying.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Consideration and Implications of 2024 Health Services Funding: Discussion (24 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: There are mechanisms within the hospital system.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Consideration and Implications of 2024 Health Services Funding: Discussion (24 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: Are they being followed through on?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Consideration and Implications of 2024 Health Services Funding: Discussion (24 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: I will move on to the issue of home care. I recently saw figures around home care providers. Some 42% of home care providers are over 60 years of age. Does that not pose a challenge into the future? How are we planning to deal with that? There are now more than 800,000 people over the age of 66. That population will be more than 1 million within the next six years. There is going to be...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Consideration and Implications of 2024 Health Services Funding: Discussion (24 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: It is a challenge when we think that 42% of the current home care providers are over 60 years of age.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Consideration and Implications of 2024 Health Services Funding: Discussion (24 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: We can employ all the consultants we like but at the end of the day, there will be an issue with having facilities available for them to deliver a service. If consultants do not have access to theatres, they cannot do many procedures. Where are we now on the whole issue of elective hospitals? I know we are at the design stage. When will we have designs available for the elective hospitals...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Consideration and Implications of 2024 Health Services Funding: Discussion (24 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: My understanding was that design teams had already been appointed.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Consideration and Implications of 2024 Health Services Funding: Discussion (24 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: When will they be appointed? When will designs for the hospitals be available?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Consideration and Implications of 2024 Health Services Funding: Discussion (24 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: I raised the Cork elective hospital issue earlier. My understanding is that the full design team has only been appointed now. I think there was an impression that the design team had been appointed.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Consideration and Implications of 2024 Health Services Funding: Discussion (24 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: A design team has not been appointed yet.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Consideration and Implications of 2024 Health Services Funding: Discussion (24 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: What kind of timescale are we talking about from the time we appoint the design team to actually getting plans finalised?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health: Consideration and Implications of 2024 Health Services Funding: Discussion (24 Oct 2023)

Colm Burke: What kind of date is Mr. Gloster talking about before we can go forward for planning?