Danny Healy-Rae demands HSC accountability over hospital staffing
Danny Healy-Rae criticised the HSC's move from an annual service plan to an annual performance delivery plan and pressed the minister for greater accountability over health spending. He argued that community hospitals have empty beds because of staff shortages, that frontline services are under-resourced, and that assessment and GP access delays are harming patients.
Healy-Rae said there is "no real accountability for all the millions that the HSC gets," and that elected members have limited recourse to challenge how funds are spent. He highlighted the disparity between visible frontline pressure on nurses and the growing numbers of administrative staff, and reported that vacancies and appointment practices are preventing replacement of bedside staff.
He spoke about a local community hospital seven miles from his home that still has unused beds because the HSC cannot staff them. He said respite facilities are effectively unavailable in the district, and described similar staffing shortages at other community hospitals, leaving promised services unrealised.
Healy-Rae recalled past efforts to secure funding for a new community hospital and urged clarity on outstanding commitments. He said residents expect a minor injuries unit and a primary care centre at the new facility, and noted persistent local pressure from councillors and community members for decisive action.
He called for greater elected-member involvement on health boards, recalling a time when elected members toured hospitals with clinicians and fed back directly to the Department of Health. He asked whether the proposed two new board members will include elected representatives, arguing that local oversight is needed to hold the HSC to account.
He expressed concern about long waits for autism assessment and support for families, saying assessment times are too slow. He also warned that a shortage of GPs forces more patients to seek emergency care at weekends, lengthening A&E waits and placing extra strain on older and vulnerable patients.
Healy-Rae urged a comprehensive re-examination of the health system to address staffing, access and accountability issues. He acknowledged the complexity of reform but insisted on speedier, practical solutions to deliver care for children, the elderly and those with acute needs.
Main concerns about HSC funding
Healy-Rae said there is "no real accountability for all the millions that the HSC gets," and that elected members have limited recourse to challenge how funds are spent. He highlighted the disparity between visible frontline pressure on nurses and the growing numbers of administrative staff, and reported that vacancies and appointment practices are preventing replacement of bedside staff.
Problems in community hospitals
He spoke about a local community hospital seven miles from his home that still has unused beds because the HSC cannot staff them. He said respite facilities are effectively unavailable in the district, and described similar staffing shortages at other community hospitals, leaving promised services unrealised.
Local capital and service promises
Healy-Rae recalled past efforts to secure funding for a new community hospital and urged clarity on outstanding commitments. He said residents expect a minor injuries unit and a primary care centre at the new facility, and noted persistent local pressure from councillors and community members for decisive action.
Governance and elected oversight
He called for greater elected-member involvement on health boards, recalling a time when elected members toured hospitals with clinicians and fed back directly to the Department of Health. He asked whether the proposed two new board members will include elected representatives, arguing that local oversight is needed to hold the HSC to account.
Waiting times, autism assessments and GP shortages
He expressed concern about long waits for autism assessment and support for families, saying assessment times are too slow. He also warned that a shortage of GPs forces more patients to seek emergency care at weekends, lengthening A&E waits and placing extra strain on older and vulnerable patients.
Call for a wider review of the health system
Healy-Rae urged a comprehensive re-examination of the health system to address staffing, access and accountability issues. He acknowledged the complexity of reform but insisted on speedier, practical solutions to deliver care for children, the elderly and those with acute needs.
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Transcript
Thank you very much. I am glad to get the opportunity to talk on this. It is a very serious thing that affects everyone in all of the communities, especially in Kerry. We have many feelings and many issues. I read what you are saying that the HSC's annual service plan is to be replaced with an annual performance delivery plan. Minister, that is the one issue that I have had here inside this chamber since I have come up here. Every year, budget time, we vote for X amount of millions of euros to the HSC to provide the health service for all those people, whether it is children, whether it is elderly people, whether it is people who have had accidents or whatever it is and who need medical attention. We know all of the feelings and what seems to me is that there is no real accountability for all the millions that the HSC gets. We, the elected members, have no recourse to really challenge the HSC as to what they are doing or what they have done with the money. Because we see on the floor of the hospital, nurses are going full belt day and night. They are doing their level best, but there do not seem to be ever enough nurses and frontline staff available yet. But there is any amount of millions being provided to administrative staff. And when there is, we have a system now, and you can correct me if I am wrong, where there is vacancies. It can happen that people will be appointed or reappointed or whatever to the administrative side of it and the person on the working side of it, the nurse that needs to be replaced or someone on the floor, whatever it is. The HSC are only appointing so many, and this is what we have been told, and that is why nurses are there in as plenty as we should. We have an issue going back to 2012 or 2013 when Khmer Hospital opened. It is a community hospital minister. It is only seven miles from my door. And I am very proud of the fact that my father got the funding or secured the funding for that new hospital at that time because he fought hard and stuck it out to the bitter end until he got the funding for it. But sadly, not all the beds are used minister. And what we are saying is that what we are being told is that they can't obtain staff or that they can't get the required number of staff to men or to operate all the beds that are idle upstairs. And at the same time, this community hospital services an area from Paul Gorham Bridge, which is, as you leave there in 22, going for Kilgaren and Kilmer. All the way back to the County Bones and Larach and back to the, we will say, somewhere around Cacherdonald. It services all those families and people who have people that need respite. And they can't, there's only one respite bed available and still beds are empty. And we see the same in Kilmer and other places, community hospital. And when we talk about Kilmer, we're waiting for the new community hospital to open and to see what use or what can be done to help the people with all community hospital, the whole district hospital or what use, we're looking for a minor injuries unit and a primary care centre. And we've been promised at different times different things by the HSE. And we need finality to that and sooner rather than later. I know Councillor Murray Healy Ray is constantly raising this as indeed other members of the Kilmer and Kilmer Municipal area. So, things like that are very important. And, you see, I regret, I can remember the time when my father was in the Southern Health Board. And the elected members that were on the Southern Health Board at that time, they visited hospitals. They see, they were involved in the ruling of the board. And I suppose that's one of the questions. You say that there's going to be two new members on the board. Will there be any elected members on that board? Because I think it's very important that there will be. And, you see, in the old Southern Health Board, and it was the same right around the Eastern Health Board or whatever, all the different health boards at the time, the elected members went around with doctors and surgeons and the surgeons and there was interaction. And they found what was wanting and they got on to the Department of Health and they worked together. I think we need more of that minister because HSE officials, some of them are grand, a lot of them are grand. But more of them are not. They're not fulfilling the needs of the people. And they're just not doing their job like we do to have the outcomes that we want to have for the people, you know, that deserve it. And people are living older and they have additional needs. And we see all the problems that are coming along with autism and the whole thing where there seems to be any amount of children presenting with autism. I do wish that we could find out if there's anything cause it. But we need to help those people that do present with autism and I feel for young parents who want the best for their child and they want their child to be the best. And it's a real, you know, a real ambition that they have, they want the best for their child. But the time to get assessed, the time to be assessed is taking too long and we need to speed that up minister. And we really do, we're looking forward to taking a new look at the whole health system that we have because I feel it's, and it's a daunting request. I know that many ministers have been blamed in the past and there's so much intricate and so many different aspects that we did. The other thing is, we don't seem to have enough GPs, Minister, at any time. And if it wasn't for SOTAC in the end of periods, many people would be left unattended and, but we just don't have enough GPs because I feel what's happening at the weekend, that the NEs fill up when there's no doctor service. No doctor services to see them, they're referred to the ANE and they're waiting long hours, elderly people. And that's one of the, when we talk about elderly people, sometimes they have to leave their bed. Maybe an old man or a woman in their 80s, maybe close to 90, and they have to go to the A&E. And they're sitting in the chair or maybe in a trolley after coming out of an ambulance, and it's hours and hours before they're seen. That's not fair and that those kind of people to come out of their own warm bed and finish up in the chair in the ANE, I'm asking that that be rectified and something, the beds are there? I know the beds are there. It's the staff aren't there. We don't have enough staff. And that's a real hurtful thing and I feel for people. I leave my phone on every night. I never turn it up. Because often I get a call at 12 or 1 o'clock at night from a family whose elderly father, whose elderly mother have been waiting in the chair to be seen for maybe early the day before. And they're telling me that they have no bed again tonight. And those people were bedridden as it was, but they get sicker and they need attention. And where do they find themselves? On a chair in the A&E. I'm asking that a full stop being put to that. And there's another aspect, I think that's giving me great concern. Long ago people got sick, maybe some of them people that could be treated in the district hospital. But now you can't get into the district hospital unless you're in the regional hospital first. I can't understand that. Many people can't understand that. And I'm asking you as well as a minister to look at that please, because more often than not, they would be seen after in the district hospital in maybe a week or two and they'd be good enough to go home again for another spell. I know you're not going to make a young person. I know you're not going to make a young person out of them, but it would suffice and it would make more use and it would make more sense. And maybe we wouldn't be clogging up our A&Es in the regional hospital. So look, minister, I know you have so many members here inside this evening asking all their wants and trying to rectify everything. I've asked you to do your best for these issues, especially the older people that are right behind in Chile after coming out of a bed and maybe have to give 24 hours sitting in a chair waiting to be put into another bed. That's wrong. And then the people that can't get into the district hospital that they have to go to the regional hospital first. And you know what will happen when they're there, if there's no bed for them, a taxi brings them back home, bring them back out home again. And that's wrong. And we have the bids. It's just a matter of more, staff minister. Thank you very much. Thank you very much.