Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank all the speakers for their comments and the information given thus far. Some of the questions I was to ask have already been answered so I will hone in on two points, the first of which pertains to Mr. Dunne in particular. One of the most worrying points made to us a couple of weeks ago arising from the HIQA report was on the fact that there were people in senior positions appointed without due process during recruitment. Senior personnel were appointed who did not have the qualifications or experience required, and there were senior personnel who claimed to HIQA that they did not have the skills necessary to carry out their duties in their current roles. Mr. Dunne stated he had a meeting with his senior managers and they all said they were happy out and that there is no need for concern. Is that the box ticked with regard to the concern raised with HIQA? Alternatively, as raised by Senator Burke, are we to delve down and have individual conversations? Are we to consider specifically the people who were appointed but who did not go through the proper recruitment process and those whom HIQA can state do not have the required skill set or qualifications for their positions? Could Mr. Dunne expand on that?

I am curious about why it is proposed to carry out clinical audits only next year although there has been a clinical director in the Ambulance Service apparently for two years. I do not wish to be smart in making this point as I totally agree that focusing on the numbers is probably not the right way to go. They are very stark and, as Ms McGuinness stated, we cannot meet the demand based on the resources we have. However, we need to focus on the outcomes. If we have a clinical director, why are we not already focusing on clinical outcomes? With respect, given that we are only starting to focus on outcomes, what has the director been doing over the months in which he or she has been working in ambulance services? Perhaps there is considerable backroom work to be done. Perhaps the delegates will explain this to us.

With regard to the turnaround times in hospitals, it is nice to see there is an improvement. Perhaps the delegation will tease this out. The improvement about which I have been told is an interim measure involving something called an ICO unit that has been introduced in hospitals. Perhaps the delegation will explain exactly what an ICO is. For how long do patients actually stay in an ICO holding? Are patients still considered to be in the care of the Ambulance Service or are they passed over to hospitals such that they are accounted for in counts of the numbers on trolleys? What kinds of patients are not put into an ICO unit? What statistics are there on the waiting periods, types of patients and turnover in the ICOs?