I thank the Minister. I want to point out that families are waiting. I have dealt with a few patients in my constituency in the past month who were waiting to be transferred to Beaumont and the Mater hospitals in Dublin. It took up to four weeks before they were transferred so they are taking up beds in Cavan Hospital when they could be transferred on. I am wondering about the new HSE system, or app, that is in situ. Is it operating so other hospitals know when patients can be transferred and if bed management in other hospitals is actually happening and that hospitals are communicating with each other to ensure that patients are being moved out? A lot of the time people are taking up beds in hospitals where, in my constituency for instance, Cavan Hospital could not offer them the services they required and they need to be moved out. It is also happening in relation to step-down units. We have a perfectly good step-down unit in Monaghan Hospital. I have brought this issue to the Minister previously in relation to Cavan and Monaghan. More patients could be transferred to Monaghan Hospital to the step-down unit there to free up beds.
Sentiment score: 0.19
I thank the Minister. I would love to work with her to ensure that people do get the step-down units and be able to use them in Monaghan Hospital. Monaghan Hospital was closed a long time ago but there is so much potential there. There are rooms available that could be used for more step-down units. I will definitely come back to the Minister on that. On the app, is there communication right across the board about patients, hospitals, doctors and nurses? Are they using the app to make sure that patients are being moved on? If there is, say, a cancer diagnosis that cannot be dealt with in Cavan, are they using the app to make sure that patients are being moved on in a timely manner?
Sentiment score: 0.17
I thank the Deputy
Sentiment score: 0.36
I thank the Minister for answering my question. However, my question referred to clinically determined need. For me clinically determined would be the older person as well. Older people need blister packs to ensure safety and to ensure that they manage their medicines safely. It is a cruel move that the Government is not funding blister packs. It is a necessity and it saves a lot of time and effort allowing older people to take their prescription medication in a safe manner. I ask the Minister to reverse this policy and to ensure that blister packs are paid for by the Government.
Sentiment score: 0.34
The Minister has again said that the pharmacy was charging the State. I again ask that she would incorporate that cost. It is not fair on the older person or on the vulnerable person that he or she has to pay for it now. I ask the Minister that the State would pay for it and that she would get over this obstacle with the pharmacies. It is not fair to put the cost on older and vulnerable people which is what is happening now. Loads of people have come to me saying that it is costing them €20 some weeks. I ask her to ensure that this cost is not put on the vulnerable and the older person. She and the pharmacies need to work it out.
Sentiment score: -0.16
But it is the older person who now-----
Sentiment score: 0.00
The older person does not have the income.
Sentiment score: 0.00
What steps will the Minister take to address the major shortfalls in school dental screening and the extreme waiting times for orthodontic care, and will she make a statement on same?
Sentiment score: 0.49
I raised this question numerous times through parliamentary questions and at the Committee of Public Accounts and the health committee, among others, last week. There was no school screening in Monaghan in 2024-25. That is just not good enough. I get a lot of emails and other contacts in this regard. There is no orthodontist in the north-east region at all. There used to be one in the Monaghan area. People are now being asked to travel to Dundalk, which is not acceptable. I do not even know if that orthodontist is still in operation. Could the Minister focus on the workforce plan and introduce targeted measures in that regard? It is completely acceptable if people are off on maternity leave but it must be projected that it will happen each year. She mentioned that she is recruiting in 15 areas. I hope Monaghan is one of those areas.
Sentiment score: -0.05
I have to agree with the Minister. Children should be our priority here. As we know, early intervention is key. I have heard of cases, again in Monaghan, where a child of seven years of age had to get seven extractions done. There was no screening. That could have eliminated them. They could have put a wee filling in and helped with that process. Will the Minister make it a top priority that children are screened? It develops good habits and good oral hygiene for their lives. Therefore, I would make it a priority. On the dental training, perhaps there should be a recruitment drive to ensure that people are going back to college to study dentistry and that we make it a priority.
Sentiment score: 0.12