Seanad debates

Tuesday, 2 November 2010

3:00 am

Photo of Nicky McFaddenNicky McFadden (Fine Gael)

I commend the Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney, for the way in which she continued with her duties yesterday, despite having been treated so discourteously. I abhor such action. It is outrageous that people stoop so low. I also welcome the fact that she has put in place a plan to seek 4,000 voluntary redundancies which I hope will be taken up. However, the timescale is very short to allow people to make up their minds. I wonder, however, why it took the Minister so long. At the eleventh hour she is giving people 17 days in which to make up their minds. I worry about the state of the health service when such a measure is introduced so quickly. While I welcome the Minister's initiative and think she is right, I worry about how it is to be implemented.

A report by HIQA was issued today on St. Vincent's care centre in Athlone. Such reports by HIQA are to be welcomed. However, it has destroyed the quality of the service provided and the morale of the nursing and care staff in St. Vincent's care centre in Athlone. When asked, all of the patients complimented the staff, saying they were being very well cared for and that both nutrition and the level of care provided were very good. Nurses in the centre are run off their feet because they are expected to complete bureaucratic forms morning, noon and night. I question the reason nursing staff face such a predicament when the role of the nurses is to care and spend time with the elderly patients. I, therefore, question the value of HIQA. We never again want to see another case similar to the one at Leas Cross, but it is outrageous that nurses and care staff are expected to do such work.

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