Joanne Collins (Sinn Fein)

I thank the witnesses for being here and for the report that was drafted. It is probably 15 years too late. We have had 15 years of unnecessary deaths and fear. In County Limerick, the question if you are sick is whether to go to UHL. The only options that have come across my desk are staying at home, going to Kerry or going to Galway. I know people from the county who drive past UHL and go to Galway. The fear among people is unbelievable. I have elderly relations who refused to get into an ambulance because it had to take them to UHL. What is happening in the mid-west is damning. Do the witnesses see any barriers to implementation of options A, B and C? Is it going to come down to staffing? Is it going to come down to the management structure within the hospital? Perhaps there will be a lack of follow-through from the HSE or a lack of political will. There are so many ways that this could go wrong. Do the witnesses see any barriers to implementation?