David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I pass on my appreciation to all the members of the organisations represented here today for the significant work they have done over recent years. Most of the witnesses have been before this committee a few times over recent years and we have spoken about the levels of burnout, stress and anxiety the members of their organisations face. I acknowledge that. The people on the front line and across healthcare with whom I speak are sick and tired of politicians giving them a clap on the back and telling them how great they are. They want us to solve the problems, put the capacity into our healthcare system and deal with the long-term issues, because far too often we focus on quick-fix and short-term solutions.

One line in the IMO's opening statement sums up what was in most of the opening statements, "Unfortunately, there is no quick fix to hospital overcrowding". That is the first thing we must accept. There are no quick-fix solutions. If we continue to chase quick-fix solutions, we will not solve the problem.

Will the witnesses tell me about the human consequences of hospital overcrowding? I take the point made by the witnesses from Fórsa that sometimes there is too much concentration on overcrowding and waiting lists and there are underlying problems that create that, but waiting lists and overcrowding are real and have an impact on people. Does Ms McGowan work in the healthcare sector?