Martin Conway (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank our guests. We have had an informative discussion, although one might feel we are going over old ground. I listened to Ms Ní Sheaghdha's engagement with previous speakers, particularly on the issue of UHL. We all agree there has been significant Government investment in the hospital, including in the emergency unit and the 60-bed modular unit. As a politician for the region, these are the things people asked for, as well as the 96-bed unit, which, in real terms, will provide only half that number because of the decommissioning of certain wards and so on. I have thought long and hard about what the problem is in Limerick, which is a problem that does not seem to be as acute in other areas. Ms Ní Sheaghdha spoke about the flow through emergency departments and the issue of delayed discharges. In particular, she spoke about the lack of on-duty clinical management at times. Will she elaborate on that lack of clinical management and how bad it is? What knock-on effects does it have in terms of the situation in emergency units and what we are seeing in Limerick?

Will Ms Ní Sheaghdha also comment on the review? Her opening statement indicates that HIQA has more or less washed its hands of it, saying it does not believe there is any merit in its carrying out a further inquiry. Based on that, I agree with her that it should be done by somebody independent. If that is the view HIQA has taken, what is the point in commissioning it to undertake a further inquiry? I would like her comments on that and perhaps a suggestion as to who should carry out an independent inquiry.

In terms of other facilities, the challenges in Limerick are obvious but there are challenges in other areas as well. What is the significant problem in Limerick that does not exist in other areas? Why is Limerick constantly at the top when it comes to numbers on trolleys? Other areas have problems in this regard but do not seem to hit the same numbers. Of the 520 patients periodically on trolleys, as Ms Ní Sheaghdha referred to, at least 20% of them are in Limerick. I am trying to figure out what is being done differently in other areas such that the problem is not as acute as it is in Limerick. I would like to hear her thoughts on those points.