Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Whether it is the Saolta University Health Care Group or in the Limerick and Kerry areas, we also need areas of excellence for advanced nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists within our hospitals. There must be training for people who are located in that area who can then perhaps transfer into the primary care network or CHOs. Unless we have that expertise in each of our hospitals, we will not be able to develop that sort of regional expertise that would feed into those other roles.

With regard to ehealth and investment in technology to support the telehealth aspects, is it feasible to have an electronic patient record that will integrate primary care and the hospital network? We have seen great advances over the past year or two years. Can we see this supporting the GP network, which is our first port of call with mental health?