Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

These multidisciplinary teams are working well. I recently visited the community nursing unit, CMU, in Ennis, County Clare. It is a fantastic facility but I was struck by the ICPOP team being located within the hospital. They are the way forward. We have 22 teams in place and we will get to 30. There are nutritionists and dieticians, physiotherapists and clinical nurse specialists working on those teams. The whole purpose is for people not to have to present to the emergency department. The fall they may have might be pre-empted. Some people, through no fault of their own, may not be having a sufficiently nutritious diet. It is like a one-stop shop. People will have a raft of tests done and the best plan will be put in place for them, working with their GP, public health nurse and the team.