Latest news with #Section38
Irish Times
4 days ago
- Health
- Irish Times
Whistleblowers lodge 67 valid HSE disclosures, with a third about patient health and safety
There were 67 valid protected disclosures made to the Health Service Executive last year, of which more than a third related to the alleged 'endangerment of health and safety' of patients or service users. On Friday, the HSE published its 2024 annual report, which found there were 135 protected disclosures received by the executive last year, up 38 per cent when compared with 2023. A total of 67 disclosures were deemed to be 'valid'. Of these, 26 were closed over the 12-month period and 41 are 'still under examination'. More than 80 per cent of disclosures were made by HSE employees, with the remainder coming from Section 38/39 workers who were not HSE employees. READ MORE A total of 37 per cent of disclosures related to the endangerment of health and safety, 15 (22 per cent) related primarily to alleged unlawful or improper use of funds, with a further 15 relating to 'oppressive, discriminatory or behaviour that constitutes gross misconduct by a public body'. The responsible area that had the highest number of disclosures was HSE Dublin and Midlands with 15, followed by HSE Dublin and North East at 12 and HSE Dublin and South East at 10. According to the annual report, Ireland's population grew by approximately 100,000 people last year, reaching 5.38 million. The number of people aged 65 and over has increased by 37 per cent since 2015 and life expectancy now stands at 82.6 years – above the EU average. As a result of the ageing population, the burden of chronic disease and cancer 'remains high, particularly among older adults'. The report highlighted a number of areas in which services have improved, including a reduction in waiting times for elective procedures as well as fewer people on trolleys. However, it also acknowledged the provision of disability services as a key challenging area for the health service. 'A major priority for the HSE is to significantly improve access for children and families to services,' the report said. 'There is still much to do to significantly improve access when needed, particularly for children and young people.' [ Opinion: Nobody wants to stay in hospital longer than necessary. There's a better way to handle patient discharge Opens in new window ] Speaking about the annual report, HSE chief executive Bernard Gloster said last year marked 'real progress'. 'We reduced the number of people waiting on trolleys by over 10 per cent, expanded community services and improved access to scheduled care with an additional 24,000 patients seen within target time frames,' he said. 'Our focus in 2025 will be to build on this momentum, improve patient flow and continue to reform how care is delivered across seven days.' [ HSE aims to bring in new weekend work rosters for healthcare staff over summer Opens in new window ]
Irish Examiner
02-07-2025
- Health
- Irish Examiner
Some health services would collapse if 'insourcing' ended overnight, HSE head says
Some health services could collapse if funding for top-up care known as 'insourcing' is removed too suddenly, the Oireachtas Health Committee has heard. The discussion followed publication on Tuesday of a HSE report showing almost €100m was spent in just 27 months on this funding. It is given by the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) to hospitals for reducing waiting lists. However questions have arisen over how this is used, including at Children's Health Ireland. HSE CEO Bernard Gloster said he now expects this funding will be eased out by June 30 next year. He told the committee he asked about the impact of ceasing these payments overnight. 'The system came back to me and said 'if we were to do that in the way you've asked right now, these are the following services that will collapse today,'' he said. He expanded on how enmeshed the top-up funding is in the HSE in response to Senator Teresa Costello. 'There's only one way you can change the culture of dependency on insourcing and that's to end it, that's it, there's no other way to do it,' he said. "You have to end it sensibly and over time.' Staff, he stressed, only did what they were asked as until recently there were few questions asked. He acknowledged this is a failure of governance. Answering questions from Fianna Fáil TD Padraig O'Sullivan, he accepted extra clinics funded by the NTPF offer attractive pay rates to staff involved. 'In the level of the scale of it, I think we took our eye off the ball,' the CEO said. It is very difficult to ask a nurse or anyone else to do ordinary overtime on a Saturday when the possibility now exists that in a different construct, they can get paid much more significantly. The report shows the HSE is giving notice they will not renew or enter in contracts with external providers of insourcing care. Any agreements between now and June need to be approved item by item by hospital CEOs. The report warns of potential impacts including conflicts of interest, non-compliance with HSE procurement rules and risk of abuse or fraud among other issues. Out of 950 companies involved, the bulk is done by 50 larger companies, HSE CFO Stephen Mulvany, told Sinn Féin health spokesman David Cullinane. Some 534 work in hospitals, other clinics mentioned included offering Assessment of Need in the disability sector. 'Perverse incentives' Mr Cullinane asked about 'perverse incentives' and links between the HSE and these external companies. Analysis of directors in 148 companies found 83 staff with links to the HSE or health bodies funded by the HSE under Section 38 arrangements, including some serving staff, Mr Gloster explained. NTPF CEO Fiona Brady defended its oversight processes. She said she is not aware of problems identified by Beaumont Hospital being replicated in other hospitals. A HSE internal audit team has been examining that issue since April, she confirmed to Labour health spokeswoman Marie Sherlock. Mr Gloster also said in the case of University Hospital Limerick (UHL), insourcing funding has helped patients. He told Senator Maria Byrne: 'The weighted average (waiting) time in UHL is below the national average, which is a really significant achievement - because it is the time people are waiting. And you can say ok there was in-sourcing involved in that but at least there was a return.' Regional executive director for the HSE Midwest, Sandra Broderick, said they have made funding requests to hire more specialist consultants to address these waiting lists internally.
Irish Independent
26-05-2025
- Automotive
- Irish Independent
No traffic calming for Sligo village that sees 50,000 vehicles a week pass through it
However, the stretch of the N17 through Ballinacarrow village has not been identified as a high collision location and will not receive any further traffic calming measures in addition to what was carried out some years ago. Residents says speeding traffic is a daily occurrence despite the fact that Go Safe vans are regularly assigned to the village which is in a 50 kph zone The issue was raised at a Municipal District meeting of Sligo County Council by Councillor Dara Mulvey who sought an update from the TII (Transport Infrastructure Ireland) on speed reductions needed at Ballinacarrow. Cllr Mulvey said other towns along the N17 and N4 have more traffic calming measures in place yet Ballinacarrow was not getting adequate help. 'There are well over 50k vehicles on this road weekly . This village has a national school on the opposite side of the road to where three housing estates are located and parents and children are not happy to cross a national primary road due to speeding vehicles. 'A speed survey carried out by the pupils found that 98 out of 175 drivers were speeding. TII needs to put resources into Ballinacarrow before something catastrophic happens,' stated Cllr Mulvey. Sligo County Council said that through the Sligo Regional Design Office it was currently advancing a number of Road Safety Improvement Schemes along the national roads in the county. These Schemes are funded by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII). Locations of Road Safety Improvement Schemes are identified by analysing collision history (to identify high collision locations) and through road safety inspections (which highlight road safety issues) completed on behalf of Transport Infrastructure Ireland by road safety experts. Prioritisation is given to high-collision locations when advancing Road Safety Improvement Schemes, while areas with identified safety issues are considered secondary. The stretch of the N17 through Ballinacarrow village has not been identified as a high collision location in the two most recent analyses (2018-2020 and 2020-2022). Additionally, no issues related to traffic calming have been flagged at this location through TII road safety inspection process. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more Sligo Regional Design Office currently has a full programme of Road Safety Improvement Schemes planned for 2025. It is important to note that a Road Safety Improvement Scheme was conducted in 2024 at the local road (L6108) / N17 junction in Ballinacarrow. Following a 'Section 38 public consultation' for that scheme, Sligo Regional Design Office applied to TII for an Active Travel/Traffic Calming scheme for Ballinacarrow; however, that application was unsuccessful, and no funding was provided through TII's 2025 allocations. "The location can be considered in the review of Road Safety Improvement Schemes for 2026, in discussions with the TII Regional Road Safety Inspection Engineer. However, there is no guarantee that a scheme at this location will be funded or prioritized, as high-collision locations and areas with identified issues from (TII led) road safety inspections to take precedence.'
Irish Independent
26-05-2025
- Automotive
- Irish Independent
No new traffic calming measures for County Sligo village that sees 50,000 vehicles a week pass through it
However, the stretch of the N17 through Ballinacarrow village has not been identified as a high collision location and will not receive any further traffic calming measures in addition to what was carried out some years ago. Residents says speeding traffic is a daily occurrence despite the fact that Go Safe vans are regularly assigned to the village which is in a 50 kph zone The issue was raised at a Municipal District meeting of Sligo County Council by Councillor Dara Mulvey who sought an update from the TII (Transport Infrastructure Ireland) on speed reductions needed at Ballinacarrow. Cllr Mulvey said other towns along the N17 and N4 have more traffic calming measures in place yet Ballinacarrow was not getting adequate help. 'There are well over 50k vehicles on this road weekly . This village has a national school on the opposite side of the road to where three housing estates are located and parents and children are not happy to cross a national primary road due to speeding vehicles. 'A speed survey carried out by the pupils found that 98 out of 175 drivers were speeding. TII needs to put resources into Ballinacarrow before something catastrophic happens,' stated Cllr Mulvey. Sligo County Council said that through the Sligo Regional Design Office it was currently advancing a number of Road Safety Improvement Schemes along the national roads in the county. These Schemes are funded by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII). Locations of Road Safety Improvement Schemes are identified by analysing collision history (to identify high collision locations) and through road safety inspections (which highlight road safety issues) completed on behalf of Transport Infrastructure Ireland by road safety experts. Prioritisation is given to high-collision locations when advancing Road Safety Improvement Schemes, while areas with identified safety issues are considered secondary. The stretch of the N17 through Ballinacarrow village has not been identified as a high collision location in the two most recent analyses (2018-2020 and 2020-2022). Additionally, no issues related to traffic calming have been flagged at this location through TII road safety inspection process. Sligo Regional Design Office currently has a full programme of Road Safety Improvement Schemes planned for 2025. It is important to note that a Road Safety Improvement Scheme was conducted in 2024 at the local road (L6108) / N17 junction in Ballinacarrow. Following a 'Section 38 public consultation' for that scheme, Sligo Regional Design Office applied to TII for an Active Travel/Traffic Calming scheme for Ballinacarrow; however, that application was unsuccessful, and no funding was provided through TII's 2025 allocations. "The location can be considered in the review of Road Safety Improvement Schemes for 2026, in discussions with the TII Regional Road Safety Inspection Engineer. However, there is no guarantee that a scheme at this location will be funded or prioritized, as high-collision locations and areas with identified issues from (TII led) road safety inspections to take precedence.'
