Mr. Stephen Mulvany:

I hear what the Deputy is saying and I agree the situation is unacceptable. The hospital views it as unacceptable. The issue is that the consultant has to be tackled on it by management, by clinical directors and by his peers in order for a resolution to be found. My colleague, Mr. O'Brien, has already made reference to the backlog and how it becomes difficult to deal with. There are ways and means around that. Hospitals are willing to step in and we can encourage more to do that. It makes sense for some consultants to use the services of medical billing companies which takes away part of the workload. However, at the moment there is no way of getting around the fundamental fact that the consultant has to sign the form. In regard to our bills, we are seeking to pursue the notion that since the HSE has other consultants who work as teams, and who discharge patients across the team, why should we not also apply this to the situation where the consultant is required to sign the form?