Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I was contacted by a consultant, not one from the south and south-west area, who only performs operations on a half day per week basis.

The consultant's operating time is after lunch once per week. The consultant tries to do three operations but has been advised by staff that, if a patient is not in theatre by 4 p.m., the patient will not be allowed in. Surely there is a need for restructuring in that scenario. I accept that people want to get away at 5 p.m., but surely a restructuring could be done so that there would be staff on from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m., for example, and other staff on from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m. or 7 p.m. In day care procedures, people come in who need to go to theatre, yet we are not using the capacity within the hospitals adequately. Does this not need to be reviewed?