Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I would add a note of optimism because I think you can in fact measure quality, but it has to be done in a different way. It cannot been done through a grid. There are the technical specifications or requirements and then it is just done on price. That is the lowest-price approach. The model in the Netherlands, which is the model I am trying to bring in in Ireland, uses price and quality as the default and there are lots of qualitative ways to measure it.

It is difficult but it can be measured, including, for example, in the level of happiness and satisfaction of those receiving care and having that as a heavy weighting.