Michael Harty (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Sorry, but I will ask one question before the Deputy contributes. In terms of workforce planning, does the Department have a vision of how it will approach recruiting? We all know that we need to recruit. Mr. Breslin referred to a satisfactory working arrangement. It is not all about money, but about career satisfaction and progression as well.

This issue has a knock-on effect on our waiting lists. If we have a functioning GP-led primary care service, the number of patients who need to be referred and are on waiting lists will drop according to the level of care that they get within the community. That is the purpose of and thinking in the Sláintecare report. If we reorientate our services towards primary care, fund it properly and create proper structures within it, we will reduce the number of outpatient referrals and accident and emergency admissions and the pressure on our health service.

The key recommendation of the Sláintecare report is to reorientate the service towards primary care, but what is the thinking in the Department and the HSE on how that can be done? Everything else flows from this core issue in the report.