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

A special appeal should be made to the staff who are not providing the information required, and that appeal should be made on the basis of the vulnerability of the patients who need the services available through CAMHS as a matter of extreme urgency and have never had the services for some years. I mention that particularly.

I should not fail to mention the passing of Dr. Ivor Browne, who majored in that area for many years and was a pioneer in many of the things he did. Unfortunately, the follow-up by others, not by him, was not always there. He led the charge. We should recognise the contribution he made.

Whenever our public hospitals get challenged in an area in terms of waiting lists, accident and emergency or whatever, it has to be possible to select a number of patients who can be referred elsewhere. That is being done already in most cases under the treatment purchase scheme. If there is a private hospital available within 25 miles, 30 miles or 40 miles, as there usually is, I see no reason the public health services cannot contract out the requirements in those cases, alleviating the waiting times in the public hospitals and providing the service of considerable benefit to the patient. That would not in any way cut across the Sláintecare programme. In fact, it complements that programme. For instance, in cataract treatment, there are several hospitals in the country and, in recent years, we have organised coaches bringing people out of the jurisdiction. That is fine, but if we can get the service provided beside the patients, that is of much more benefit than bringing the patient on a tour of the country to get the same service. The expertise and the technology is readily available.

On the question of the availability of a second opinion, the GPs are doing this to a fairly considerable extent and are online and linked up to consultants who can quickly give an opinion on something. Some hospitals still require that. They do not have the same degree of link-up they feel they should have. I would ask that we take a look at the extent to which various hospitals, health centres or primary care centres can avail quickly of that expert opinion online because it may fill a need that is not only urgent but vital. In recognising, for instance, the need to get a quick diagnosis, there is no sense in having the diagnostic elements in public or private hospitals. They do not have them in private hospitals, but in public hospitals it is hugely important. We have spoken previously about the tragic circumstances in two cases whereby the delay in the diagnosis and the diagnostic process was directly the cause of persons losing their lives. That should not be. When a person goes into hospital, he or she is supposed to be in the right place with all the expertise around, but sometimes, for whatever reason, an initial diagnosis or examination is not made with sufficient intensity to identify the seriousness of the condition the patient is in at the time. We need to address that.