Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Wednesday, 6 December 2023
Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health
Update on Sláintecare Reforms (Resumed)
Mr. Damien McCallion:
I will raise one last point from a mental health perspective, because the Deputy has raised it. Each of the emergency departments was asked to ensure a dedicated room was available. Some of the larger hospitals would already have had this. It is a room to deal with those in the emergency department with mental health, self harm or those types of challenges. It is an ongoing challenge. It is difficult for staff. There is no point in pretending otherwise. The steps set out are trying to mitigate that risk as much as possible, both in security, training and for particular patients who present with challenging conditions like the Deputy has described.
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