Ms Clare Mahon:

I wish to focus on the level of burnout among nurses. If one considers the age profile of the people who left last February, one can see that we have lost a good ten years' worth of experience out of the workforce. The majority of the individuals who left were in their early to mid-50s. We have, therefore, lost a massive number of senior and experienced staff. We do not have staff coming along behind these people to gain experience. At ward level, there is a very poor skills mix. I am not referring here to nurses and health care assistants in this regard, but to the level of experience among the nurses working on wards. This has a major impact on patient outcomes. It must be recognised that nurses are going home each day both exhausted and worried and that this is a real problem. After all, nurses operate at the coalface and they witness the problems that exist. Mr. Geoghegan indicated his belief that we are heading towards a scenario similar to that which obtained at Mid-Staffordshire hospital. I am of the view that, were the truth known, we have already arrived at that scenario. The reality in this regard is not being acknowledged.