Anne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for that but I want to address what she asked. Regarding the pre-assessment and the word "streamline" that is used, I asked about that and the answer I got was that we would have the same procedure happening right across every community healthcare organisation, CHO, in the country. To reverse back to 31 December 2019, it was not the case that all CHOs in the country operated at the same level with respect to how they did an assessment. The idea of the SOP was to streamline it. I have to be clear with the Senator. Certain CHOs are getting through their backlog is a very timely fashion but that is not the case for other CHOs. I ask them what is the story, that they told me last month this would happen but it did not happen and they reply that consultation is taking place or conversations are happening where teams have to meet to come to a final decision about assessment.

That is part and parcel of where the SOP ended up and what has added to the backlog. I am not ascribing blame to anybody in making that statement; I am stating a fact. The idea was to have streamlined assessments. The idea was that every CHO would have the same.

The Senator made a valid point, asking if it came in just to save the State a fortune not to end up in court cases. It is part and parcel of it and I will not deny that. It is important to qualify it by saying that the HSE sought legal advice on it. When the HSE is before the committee, it is important and integral to ask if it was about the legal bill or about delivering a standard of intervention at the same level across the country. Was it part of putting a tool in place that every clinician could work to?

The Senator mentioned the EPSEN Act. I have asked that question and tomorrow I will meet with the Minister of State at the Department of Education, Deputy Madigan, about the issue the Senator raised, and I will provide the Senator or Chair with a follow-up to that meeting if they so wish.