Jennifer Carroll MacNeill (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)

Barbara Keogh Dunne is fantastic. What has happened at Tallaght is an example to every other hospital in this country. When we were here in June and July, Tallaght's trolley numbers were not good. They were a persistent difficulty. The waiting time averaged about 13 hours. It is now down to about eight hours. It is appropriate to be in the emergency department for a certain period of time. Some 75% of patients who go to the emergency department will not need to be admitted but they may need fluids, support or diagnostics. That takes a certain number of hours. We have to be a little less puritanical in expecting people to get in and out of emergency departments in an hour. You may not get the diagnostics or treatment necessary in that time. There is a certain period of time you should spend there. The figures at Tallaght are zero for September and essentially zero for August. That is a consequence of an excellent manager and a culture that has accepted and responded to her. She had previously been at Connolly Hospital, which survived her leaving. She built such a good culture there that it survived the fact that she has moved to Tallaght. It has not deteriorated. The interim manager there is also excellent. It shows this can be done.