HSE's chief operations officer unaware of advice to take public transport for Covid-19 test

The Irish Examiner revealed a woman displaying symptoms of Covid-19 claimed she was advised by a HSE representative to take a bus to her testing centre as she did not have private transport. Picture: Jane Barlow/PA Wire

The Health Service Executive’s  (HSE) chief operations officer, Anne O’Connor has said that the health service is building capacity across the system for Covid-19 and non-Covid-19 pathways. 

The aim is for patients to be treated at home, in the community and in hospitals, she said.

Ms O’Connor told RTÉ radio’s Today with Claire Byrne show that it was important that specialised services were available for those who needed them.

Ms O'Connor also said rising case numbers are a cause for concern. “We’re worried because (Covid) numbers are increasing so rapidly,” she said.  

It was important to look after people with other serious illnesses and a significant amount of work had gone into ensuring that people were safe, she added.

Ms O’Connor acknowledged that 700 health workers were still working on testing with a further 100 working on contact tracing. 

The aim was to get health and social care workers who had been deployed for testing and tracing back to their positions, meanwhile building capacity re staff for contact tracing.

It would be important to have those staff back in their positions shortly as they will be needed going into the winter. The HSE's Winter plan has placed an emphasis on keeping people at home she said. 

Testing and transport

Responding to a question about people being advised to take public transport to get tested, Ms O’Connor said she was unaware of such advice.

There are now 30 permanent test centres (including Croke Park which has become a permanent centre from today), and five pop-up centres which move where they are needed, she said.

On the same programme, intensive care consultant, Dr Catherine Motherway said that the health care system is not yet overwhelmed, it is "normally stretched."

Everybody needs to do the basic things such as hand washing, maintaining social distance, wearing masks, she urged.

The growing numbers of Covid cases were a concern, she said as 10-15 per cent of admissions will require critical care. As numbers climb, demand for ICU will climb, she warned.

While it was good that the R number (Infection rate) in Dublin was falling, it was still rising outside Dublin. 

“We all need to buckle down and find new ways of living," Dr Motherway said.