Victor Boyhan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister of State and his officials and thank him for such a comprehensive report. Health is a wide brief and he has chosen to focus on particular issues which Senators have raised in the House.

A service which is close to my heart and to which I have referred regularly in the House is the national rehabilitation service. There is a real need for a master plan or to receive an update on previous plans. What might happen in County Roscommon or in Munster? I was present a number of weeks ago at the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dún Laoghaire when the Taoiseach and the Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris, turned the sod for the development of a new 120-bed facility. It will replace an existing 120-bed unit. It is important, therefore, that we do not get too excited over it. The Minister of State referred to upgrading. It is right that we do so to ensure facilities are fit for purpose. I acknowledge that it is a real start. Of greater concern, however - this is a matter I have raised in the House often - is that on 1 January this year 12 beds were closed in the hospital. I have engaged regularly with hospital management, the Minister and the Department and been drip-fed responses and answers. First we were told that all of the beds would be open by the middle of the year. That did not happen but two were opened eventually. We were then told that the problem was the lack of staffing resources. Where the staff had gone? In recent days the hospital authorities have confirmed that there are now four beds open, which means that eight still remain closed since 1 January. It is frightening to look at the huge waiting list for the service, but the patients in question are not at home but in other acute beds in other hospitals that could be freed up for others. They have been identified as patients who require intervention in the National Rehabilitation Hospital, yet there is no facility that will take them When I spoke to hospital management again this week, I was told that there were four beds open. I appeal to the Minister to produce the necessary resources or explain the reason he is presiding over a situation where eight beds remain closed at the National Rehabilitation Hospital because it is unacceptable.

In his acceptance speech on becoming leader of Fine Gael the Taoiseach promised leadership in the health service. Today I looked at his speech again and one of the things he emphasised was the need to lead from the front in the health service. I acknowledge the hard work done by the Minister who is very diligent and keen to deliver within the limits of the resources available to him, but it is not an easy brief but a tough one.

Will the Minister of State clarify something about Sláintecare? Originally, it was to be centralised in the Department of the Taoiseach rather than the Department of Health but now we hear reports that it will be centralised in the Department of Health. What does that tell us about how health services will be prioritised? How is that leading from the front and recognising that this is an important issue? It is important that we be told in coming days what is the future of Sláintecare. Who will co-ordinate it? Who will lead from the front? Who will assess it? Where will the unit and its funding be based? There is an issue in that regard.

In press reports yesterday we heard from the consultants' association that there were 400 vacant posts. Why is that the case? This is an issue we must explore in detail. Research which was published recently showed that in 2016, 83 consultant posts advertised but no applications were received. We must ask why people do not believe they can expect to have a meaningful job with proper remuneration and everything that goes with it. What is the problem and how can we address it?

There are ongoing issues in hospitals. I single out Tallaght hospital since there were reports in several newspapers this week that there were 425 patients on trollies there this month. At one point, there was not a single senior consultant in place to oversee the emergency department in the hospital. That is serious. It is a question of having confidence in health services. One does not really engage with the health service until a loved one or a family member or oneself is sick and needs to access services. The ongoing trolley delays are unacceptable and we have not even faced the worst of the winter problems that occur annually. It is not acceptable that there are hundreds of patients on trolleys in hospitals. Someone told me recently of how they had not been lucky enough to be even on a trolley; they had been put in a wheelchair because there were no trolleys available in the hospital in question.

The Minister of State has covered matters such as the health budget, the HSE and the national service plan. I referred to Sláintecare and hope we will receive clarification on the matter in the coming days. I welcome the funding for the National Treatment Purchase Fund. It is interesting that when the Government has a focus and sets targets and budgets, things seem to happen. Therefore, I welcome what the Minister of State set out on the National Treatment Purchase Fund. Once treatment is provided and we deliver the service, I do not care who does it. I have no ideological hang up about who should provide the service, once it is professional and responds to the needs of patients. We need to get over that hurdle because people ask about the policy. If it is possible to have something done outside the public system for patients on waiting lists, we should proceed.

I am somewhat disappointed by the figures for scoliosis patients. A few days after a sad and harrowing documentary produced by RTÉ's "Prime Time" programme, the Minister responded. He organised an interview to give a response. He needs to return and honour and deliver on the promises and commitments he made. We must deliver on the promises made to scoliosis patients because it is important that we do so.

I again thank the Minster of State and his officials for being here.