I thank all the nurses in the country, especially five of them in a place called Athlacca in County Limerick. There is a family of six, with five girls and one boy, and five of the girls were nurses. They are Marie, Eileen, Noelle, Angela and Cliona. They are the O'Keeffes. I grew up with them. The whole family have dedicated their lives to care and nursing. It was unbelievable to see. I thank all of the families, male and female nurses across the country, for what they have done, for the care, and for the families who encouraged them and gave them the help to become nurses so they can actually provide for others. I grew up with it. My sister is a nurse who is now retired. They grew up at a different time for nursing. At the time, they were in hospitals with matrons and each ward was run by the matrons. From those times to the training that we have today, the care that nurses gave and still give is above and beyond. They are the link between all staff, between the doctors, the consultants, the nurses, and everyone else, because they meet the patients and their needs. They get to the root of the problem. I thank them for everything they have done for this country and its vulnerable people. Small changes need to be made to encourage people to go into nursing. People can become apprentices today and are funded. Those who are becoming nurses should be funded the same.

Sentiment score: 0.15