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

I am on the campus, in my usual location in my office in Leinster House.

I thank the witnesses for their opening statements and the information already given. I will ask questions on a couple of issues. Recently, I have raised the quality of care and attention provided at accident and emergency departments in various places in the eastern region, the area with which I am most familiar. To what extent does HIQA set the standards or inspect the lack of standards in these cases? By that, I refer to the care and safety of hospital staff in the first instance. I have witnessed cases where the most foul and obscene language was directed at doctors, nurses and other care staff. What can HIQA do to improve the standard and quality of the treatment of staff treatment? As a result of this treatment, ordinary patients are getting a less than perfect service. That is my first question.