Ms Doireann O'Mahony:

If I can come in on that as well, what Deputy Hourigan has said about the long road back is very important, as is hearing from people like Mr. Callaghan. That is the reality. There is a huge personal human cost associated with a delayed diagnosis of sepsis when people die. This is also the case, however, when people get sepsis and they survive. The road back can be torturous.

There also is a huge associated cost to the State in the long term. For every patient who goes into intensive care with sepsis, according to the HSE's latest report the average length of stay is approximately three weeks. ICU beds are at a premium and it costs a lot of money to the State to keep people in them. If people come out of ICU, the picture is bleak. Many of them have post-sepsis syndrome, they have post-traumatic stress, it affects them mentally, they cannot get back to work or they cannot participate at the level to which they did before. They may have had amputations of digits or limbs. They may need therapies, adaptations to their homes or care in the home. Is the HSE looking at the cost of all of that to the State? We have to take a broader view. We cannot be short-sighted about this. I understand that every year, there is a budget and there are constraints but we have to consider the enormous cost and burden this is having on the State for people who actually survive sepsis. This is not just on a personal level, but on a financial level too.