Ms Mary O'Kelly:

I thank the Deputy for his acknowledgement of front-line staff. It is much appreciated. He is right that the decision to reduce the number of beds in Linn Dara on a temporary basis was not undertaken lightly at all. It is an excellent inpatient service and one we rely on heavily.

We are in an entirely different space compared with the last time this happened. Dr. Doody and Mr. Ryan spoke about the additional services provided in the area at present. At the time beds were previously reduced, we did not have our Assessment, Diagnosis, Management, initiation, Research and Education, ADMiRE, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, ADHD, team. We did not have the additional teams we now have in community, which is all part of that Sláintecare work we are progressing. We did not have an eating disorder team or mental health intellectual disability, ID, services.

We are in a space where we know that, nationally, 25% of nurses who qualify do not take up a job. When we look at higher education in the context of the number of graduates, 25% of them do not take up jobs.