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

Absolutely and there is that whole issue around nursing homes where historically, nursing home owners did not want people dying in the nursing homes, thereby giving them a bad reputation. We are trying to move away from that culture and explain to people that this is their home and most people want to die at their home. They do not wish to spend the last 12 hours of their lives sitting on a trolley in an emergency department. While there also will be upskilling for general practitioners, GPs, in this regard, it will mainly be for nursing home staff in order that they are comfortable in this space. Our chief nursing officer is present and can address those issues in a much more comprehensive fashion.

Deputy Neville mentioned ReachOut and mental health staff. I will defer to the Minister of State, Deputy Kathleen Lynch, on those issues. As to whether the GP can extend the medical card for three months my information is he or she can. While that is from memory, I will have this confirmed by the HSE in a moment. On the last point mentioned by the Deputy regrading patients not being removed from the list, despite the death certificate being issued, that is not playing the game. The GPs were given an opportunity to put on their list a newborn child when he or she first presented to the surgery, rather than waiting for the HSE to do it over a period. In return for this, however, they were to remove from their list people who had passed away or had left the practice. Consequently, it is a bit facetious for a general practitioner to be trying to present to Deputy Neville the idea they issued a death certificate and therefore the HSE should know.