Paul Gavan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I again raise the issue of University Hospital Limerick, UHL, in respect of the HIQA report published just last week. I agree with the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, INMO, that it makes for bleak reading. I will summarise it as quickly as I can. In the 15 subcategories of the report listed, UHL was found to be fully compliant in just one area, substantially compliant in seven areas, partially compliant in five areas and, very worryingly, non-compliant in two areas. The report found that on the first day of the inspection, on 21 February 2023, the accident and emergency department was overcrowded by three times the recommended number of patients that could be treated safely. These additional 72 people were accommodated on trolleys and chairs in that department, which, of course, comes as no surprise to anyone living in Limerick because this has, unfortunately, been the daily reality for the best part of a decade now. The report noted like the March 2022 report, the normal means of facilitating patient flow were just not working at the hospital. At 11 a.m. on the day of the inspection, the hospital was not compliant with any of the national key performance indicators, KPIs, set out by the HSE for accident and emergency departments.

I could go on, but I should also mention the fact that right now we are on track to beat even the awful figures from last year in respect of patients on trolleys. Last year, 18,012 patients were on trolleys, but so far this year we have already had 9,615 patients who have had to suffer the indignity of being on chairs and trolleys when they have got to UHL. We know new beds are in the pipeline but, frankly, these will not be half enough to meet the number required. What we have not had from the Minister at any stage are solutions to deal with this crisis in the interim. I say this because we are at least 18 months and perhaps two years away from these additional beds being delivered.

Moving to two related points, I was stunned to learn after I raised the issue some weeks back that the contract cleaning staff in the hospital finally got the bonus payment. This is welcome. The security staff at the hospital, however, have still not got this payment. It is inexplicable. We must not forget these are the same security staff this Government has completely forgotten about in respect of the employment regulation order, ERO. An injunction has been issued to challenge that order and successive Ministers of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment have done nothing to deal with this injunction. This means the security staff are languishing on €11.65 an hour. This is a disgrace for some of our best and most essential front-line workers.

A related point in this regard is that several doctors and nurses have raised another issue. These are foreign nationals who keep our health service going and right now they must wait five years to get citizenship. This has significant implications for them. For example, if their children are going to university, they will be counted as non-European students. At a time when we are desperately trying to hire doctors and nurses, how can it make sense to require these people to wait five years for citizenship? Is this not an issue that should be dealt with quickly as a means of expediting addressing this situation and encouraging doctors and nurses, those foreign nationals who keep our health service going, to choose Ireland and to choose a life here?