Matt Shanahan
Question:510. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Health regarding diabetes services at University Hospital Waterford, when the existing diabetic nurse specialist presently on call is expected back to work; the procedures in place to ensure that when a nursing specialist is on holiday leave or on extended leave the support protocol the hospital employs to cover patient queries and issues regarding ongoing treatment regime; if the hospital has a replacement policy in place to ensure key medical nurse specialists who may be the only point of contact for patient concerns have adequate trained cover provisioned within a cover plan; if that plan covers responses to medical telephone query; if such a cover plan exists, if the hospital can outline the reason it has not been implemented with the absence of the only clinical nurse specialist diabetic nurse on site who is now presently on extended leave; if the hospital sought to recruit a temporary replacement either internally or externally; if an adequate budget allocation exists for such recruitment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55575/21]
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