James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I would like to address the issue of travel by the review committee in the round. The underlying policy we have is that a patient should be seen as near to home as possible, at the lowest level of complexity, in order to save time and be efficient. That means the services are provided as near to the patient as possible. That underpins what we are talking about. Our policy is changing in that consultants will travel to clinics to see patients rather than patients' having to travel long distances to see doctors. This follows from that policy, but I would like to check with the Attorney General to make sure I am not being overly prescriptive.

The Deputy asked about the involvement of the GP. He or she is not involved in certification per se but his or her knowledge of the patient is important, particularly for the initial assessment, and he or she can be consulted by the panel as well. That is provided for under this section in the same way it is elsewhere. That will not always be practicable because not everybody has a GP. In addition, the patient would have to give consent to consult the GP. It will be necessary for the patient to be examined, although she could have somebody represent her beforehand. To meet the requirements for certification to mirror the initial process, there is a need for a face-to-face examination, particularly with regard to assessing suicide risk.