Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I wish that the situation was other than what it is. That is probably the Minister's view of things as they stand. There are many things which are working well within our health services, and that is to be acknowledged. It is important that we start by acknowledging what I have described time after time as the heroic efforts of front-line service providers, not only, but very particularly, across our network of acute hospital sites.

I have noted during the past 12 months a significant increase in patient dissatisfaction presenting to me in specific individual cases and from collective reflection on experiences shared by a number of people, not only within my constituency but throughout the State. That has been added to over the past 12 months by more people who are service providers within the system coming forward in tandem and reflecting on their experiences as workers within the system.

I have no doubt that the Minister is at least as equally aware of this as I and other voices in the committee are. We need to face up to the problems that exist. We can only do that with a collective response in a properly worked out, structured and resourced way. That is not what is happening.

This year is the first time in seven years that there has not been a reduction in the budget; instead there is an increase. Despite all of the marketing language of the budget for the health services, at the end of the day, against the backdrop of the Supplementary Estimates in 2014 and 2015 and the reality that there will be a process of carrying forward what are described as overspends year on year following the passage of legislation during the past year, there are very serious problems not only for this year but mounting year on year for the years to follow.

The Minister has been in office for several months, and I had hoped that by now he would have laid out a very carefully thought out plan of address. Rather than responding to one point or deficiency, I had hoped such a plan would encompass the critical elements that we need to address. These are presented time after time. The need for additional resources is the bottom line. We need more consultants and consultant posts. We need to see more nurses engaged in the hospital network. We need to resource community-led responses. The focus should be on primary care and the prevention of ill health.

No substantive and cohesive plan has been presented that gives me confidence that we will see a significant difference in the course of 2015 as against the year gone by and preceding years. That is a major problem. Problems are mounting on each other, as I have said, and the situation will get worse. I am not reflecting words I have authored, but I am reflecting what service providers have said to me. They have said we no longer have a patient-focused service. That is a very worrying reflection on the situation as seen by those who are front-line providers and have, as I have said, performed heroically despite all of the challenges they face.

I have had considerable experience of our health services over the past 12 months, not only in my personal life but also my family life. I can say without any question that a wonderful level of service is being provided by people who are going far beyond what is or could possibly be expected of them. That cannot be missed. What is happening to them in turn is that they are being worn out and will be burnt out before their time. I said earlier that they have lost the zest for their career path.

All of that must be faced up to. If those we trust to look after our health care needs suffer burn-out and loss of verve patient safety will certainly be at risk.