Dr. Ciara Martin:

Paediatrics looks after children from zero up to 16. For a number of the children and babies who come in, you cannot ask the same questions you would ask of an adult. When children come into paediatric departments and they are seen by the specially trained nurses and doctors, there are teams that are trained and you are trained to listen to the parents, look at the child and understand the vital signs and what they mean. Sometimes we need to hold onto a child for a little while to observe them and see how they are getting on. We need to see if they are sleeping and feeding or if they seem to be in pain. The answer to the Senator's question is that it is part of our training in paediatrics. Disability is a particular area where that comes into play because the children of seven or eight who may have an intellectual or physical disability need special consideration, and that is always part of our approach.