Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senator Conway-Walsh. On the point made by Deputy O'Connell on whether a staff member in the health service is aware that if he or she does not discharge a patient, this may cause another individual in the accident and emergency department to stay an additional night on a trolley, I used to represent staff in the health service and they are acutely aware of that, but they are dealing with a finite resource and very often the decision they make are resource dependent. I do not believe that remark was intended in that way, but the remark could be construed by health service workers as being somewhat dismissive because clearly they are doing their best. To clarify that remark, will the witnesses outline for us who from the health service workforce, outside of the people whom one would call the management, did they meet? Did they talk to those on the front line of delivering the services about the challenges they are facing day in, day out, week in and week out, which are all resource dependent? If hard work resulted in us having a marvellous health service, we would have the greatest health service in the world. Unfortunately, all of their hard work comes up constantly against resource challenges, to put it kindly.