Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There are different places to deal with different types of patents seeking admission. If a person is involved in a drug or alcohol fight, the day before, the hour before or whatever then that is something that is not anticipated but it has to be dealt with somewhere. There is an appropriate place to deal with them and it is not at the accident and emergency unit mixed up with all the other patients who have all kinds of conditions.

It has been found that by measuring the various layouts in the various places that one has to resort to the private sector to find out how to get service unless one is prepared to wait 20 or 24 hours or whatever the case may be. The private health system is different. For instance, reception is one area and other areas branch off in all directions. There may be an option to go to a second floor if necessary but patients have access. There are no people sitting around in the accident and emergency area to prevent the patient from getting to where he or she should go to get treatment.

This cannot go on. Sláintecare is not going to be achieved in the way that it was intended unless something is done about this. I ask that an appraisal be conducted on the layout of accident and emergency units, how they are administered and how the system can deal with the abuse meted out to staff on duty. The most foul language and insults are hurled at staff on a regular basis by people who have nothing else to do except to create mayhem in the accident and emergency departments of public hospitals. That does not happen in all hospitals and I know of two in Dublin that have been affected.

I apologise to the Chairman for talking so long. The fact of the matter is our witnesses must deal with those situations.