Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

If Mr. Dunne keeps making references from George Orwell to Dumbo, he will feature in Miriam Lord's column very soon. I thank the witnesses for being with us today.

I have a few questions, the first of which is about how carers connect with supports that may or, in often cases, may not be available. From my experience, initial contact is through the public health nurse. What issues do the witnesses see with that framework? Many families do not know that the public health nurse is the person they should contact first. Mr Dunne is right in that they find their level of sustainability and then reach a crisis point. They reach out to seven or eight organisations, receive answers of "No" from many different directions and yet the public health nurse is the person to whom they should go. How does that connect them with different services that provide State support in terms of healthcare, the perspective from which the public health nurse obviously looks at it? I believe what is also absent are the financial and other supports that might be available to the carer. Often, there is no one available who covers that aspect. If any of the witnesses have knowledge of the initial interaction with the public health nurse - that is not to criticise the nurses - is that connection fit for purpose? How might we improve the other areas that are not covered by the public health nurse?