Mr. Tony O'Brien:

Deputy Ó Caoláin asked about the person in charge. At any point in time in each emergency department there is a designated person in charge. Those arrangements vary a little from hospital to hospital. Sometimes it is a senior manager in a hospital, sometimes it is an unscheduled care manager, sometimes it is an emergency department manager or a person in charge based on the shift pattern. Sometimes, it is not always obvious why people sitting in a waiting area are seen in a particular sequence. The more acute patients often arrive, unseen, via the ambulance department entrance. It is important, though, particularly at times of pressure, that people in the waiting areas are kept up to date and we are looking at ensuring people understand the dynamics of what their waiting period is likely to be at any point in time.

I was also asked about the HSE submission to the Department but it would not be appropriate for me to go into any great detail on that. The report in the newspaper was based on the sight of a copy of that submission but what may not have been clear is that there was no expectation that that level of funding would be provided in a single year. This is something Deputy Kelleher touched on. It was a general description of what was required to address the existing level of service and some additional areas of demand. That is now in a separate process to which the Minister referred and it is not my territory so I will not intrude on it at this stage.

In the past six days I have been in eight hospitals where there are emergency department stresses and strains. I have no concerns about the level of motivation among staff in those hospitals or in the community organisations that took part. Whatever does or does not happen, it will not be as a result of any lack of effort on their part to produce the best possible outcome this winter.