Dr. Áine Carroll:

I had just finished commenting on the developments through the rehabilitation medicine programme and the very welcome development of the regional inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation units. Members asked about ambulances and trolleys. A lot of work is being undertaken to deal with the issue of unscheduled care. Trolleys are just one small component of the patient journey through unscheduled care. The HSE, the special delivery unit, SDU, the clinical directors, the RDOs and the hospital group chief executive officers are working together in an examination of all aspects of unscheduled care. The likelihood is that in the next year or so we will be looking to develop a collaborative approach to the management of patient flow right from front of house to discharge planning and to a plan for maintaining individuals in the community so that they are not readmitted to the acute hospital system.

From the point of view of health and well-being, a new preventative programme to deal with chronic disease is being initiated. I have just signed off on its objectives and aims. It is important to emphasise that prevention is a very important part of all the clinical care programmes. Pharmacists have a very important role to play with regard to unscheduled care and health promotion. It is interesting to note the developing and important role of community pharmacists in unscheduled care in other jurisdictions.

That is certainly a model that we will be exploring in the next 12 months.