Matt Shanahan Demands Action on Evening Scopes and CAT Lab

Thank you to our guests here today. I said in the previous module here today that the submissions that had been received earlier today largely reflected a great deal of frustration, I'd say, and I think some of that is coming across in this meeting here too. I'd rather concentrate on what we can do rather than what potentially maybe we think we are doing. I brought up in the previous module there about the issue of scoping and radiology and I believe there is capacity now in the public system to do increase scoping and radiology later in the afternoon or in the evening because of the capacity constraints during the day. So I'm wondering in terms of the NTPF, have you looked, as I said earlier, at using some of the SPRs, using some of the consultants on site to try and expand hours into the evening and they could go quite late into the evening, maybe 7, 8, 9 o'clock to do additional procedures? Just if you'd come back on that for a moment, please. That's the type of thing that we do across public hospitals. So a public hospital may come to us with a plan of the extra cost that they'd require in order to do more scopes in the evenings or weekends and we'd agree an arrangement with them and fund them. So that's exactly the type of thing that my chairman spoke of there when he was speaking about the level of funding that goes into public hospitals through the NTPF. With respect, Mr. Sloan, could I say that I think the NTPF should be going to the hospital management, not waiting for hospital managers to come to you. I doubt there's a hospital manager in the country who has time to sit down and consider how they're going to extend out services and hours beyond what they're doing presently. And surely it is the remit of your grouping to go and say you have the purse to do it. You have the ability to pull people together and say, listen, we're prepared to implement plans. What operational theatres are vacant at the moment? How much cleaning staff? Have we got surgical bed days, bed nights? Can we provide capacity? I think that's your remit that you should be coming rather than saying that we're available to engage with the hospital management. If I could take that particular question. I think that's very much what does happen. I think this is very much a two way street. And I think as with other sections in the whole health care service, I think we now realise we're going to have to find new ways of working, new and more innovative ways. We're going to have to find ways we can support patients maybe in this new changed environment where things like virtual consultations, diagnostic services, clinical validation. There are a number of areas like that. I think that maybe will extend the approach that we've had, but very much it's a two way street. We're open to suggestions, but we're not we're not behind the door in making suggestions ourselves and in coming forward with with ideas. And my colleague, the chief executive, who's very much at the coalface of this, he has brought forward many such ideas long before COVID appeared on our doors. But I think he will be at the forefront again in bringing forward even more innovative solutions in the future. Well, thank you. Happy to hear that, Mr. Horne. But again, I would say that, you know, we need dynamic thinking now and we need people to become far more energised rather than saying what we can do. It's a question of what initiatives have we got to put on the table? How are we going to move them forward? Speaking of dynamic initiatives, could I go to Mr. Woods there, if you please? I'd like to highlight the situation that Deputy Colnaan alluded to earlier today, which is the closing down of a cat lab in Warford since February, which is adding between 30 and 50 diagnostic cases to the waiting list every week. Now, the problem on the ground is that essentially the engineers that are required to travel from abroad will not come into the country and observe a two week isolation period. Ergo, if we gave them a COVID test and prove that they were COVID free, they could come in and do that. I have been asking the HSE for the past number of weeks to get this elicited and to date nothing has happened. So it's not beyond the wish of man that we could do this. And I would like to now hear from Mr. Woods today, will you give a categoric approval here that you will put in place some COVID testing, communicate with the suppliers of that laboratory and get these engineers in and get this cat lab up and running, please? Thank you, Deputy. Yes, my understanding is that actually the project has recommenced. It wasn't only, I understand, about the engineers, but it has recommenced. And yes, I will do whatever. Sorry, Mr. Woods. My information differs with yours. The project has not commenced on the ground. I don't know what else has commenced, but no work has commenced there as yet. That's my information. Thank you, Deputy. So to your core question, I'll do everything I feasibly can with the South South West Hospital group to get the project recommenced. And I understand from conversations with them very recently that it is recommencing. If there's any difficulty with that, I will certainly work with them to ensure that it is resolved. I like to you, Mr. Woods, that I spoke with Deputy Harris back in April on this subject, and he agreed with the department that this was classed as essential work. It is beyond understanding why it has been suspended for so long. And secondly, then, with respect to the procurement process that Deputy Colnane mentioned earlier, with respect to the second CAT lab, which has now been extended by another four months without any understanding, and we are to have an Office of Government procurement review of a review of a tender that has now taken 20 months to compile. Would you please, again, use your office to have a look at this? We had a commitment that Building Works could start there in October. There's no reason why they shouldn't. This lab is needed. These patients are adding to the list every month. And it's absolutely unacceptable that potentially critically ill patients are being denied diagnostic testing because of the administration and the ongoing failure to deliver. Yes, Deputy. And maybe if it's helpful, I'd be happy to provide a further report to the committee. I know there has been a brief report on this, but I'd certainly provide a further report to the committee on timescales to completion. Can I say, I'm sure we'd welcome the report, but what I'd like to understand is how in 20 months we can only move a project to a design stage and a planning permission in 20 months when a private lab can put in a functioning CAT lab in 12 weeks in the same area. Yeah, okay. So, I suppose the piece I can comment on is the Public Peace Deputy, and I will certainly get whatever information is helpful to the committee to support that. And one final thing then, can I say, was brought up earlier today, not developed to any degree, is the use of e-health as we go forward. If you walk into a hospital in Switzerland or France, you can present your card and get all of your diagnostic tests pulled up on a screen there, all of your medical information. When are we going to get to that situation in Ireland, please? So, there's been some very good development in the use of technology, and I think you're right to say that technology actually is critical to the next number of months in terms of enabling the system to work effectively. That's already happened in the last three or four months very successfully using software to connect both GPs and hospitals, and indeed GPs and pharmacy. I would also say the system in the National Ambulance Service, which is a national call receiving and dispatching system, has worked effectively to support testing and COVID response. We are doing further work at the moment to support integrated working between GP and consultants specifically with such technologies. So, I don't know, Ms McArdle, maybe we should say more about that in terms of the community work. Can I just add today that I, as a member of the regional group, have called for COVID testing at all of our airports at the moment. We are in huge danger of bringing infection into the country from hotspots, from people travelling abroad. It is absolutely feasible and possible to do this using both public and private labs, and I would hope that the grouping that we're addressing today will bring that message to an effort. We need to get this implemented as quickly as possible to our airports and potentially to our ferry ports before we finish up in October in a complete surge and no ability to treat critically ill patients. Thank you, Deputy. Your comments are noted on that. Thank you very much.