Dr. Lorcan Martin:

That is probably where those impassioned pleas are coming from. They see services not working and they are getting nowhere. You can totally understand the frustration. Coming at it from the other side we can say that if we had x, y and z in place we could actually deliver a, b and c. It is really important that it is about properly resourcing services but also ensuring posts are filled by adequately-trained personnel. Dropping somebody in from an agency does not work. Putting somebody in charge of a system who has no background in the area does not work, so you need to ensure people are adequately trained for the jobs they are doing. When it comes to doctors, it is really important they are either on the specialist register or ideally somebody who is currently in training. Many posts are filled either by non-consultant doctors not in training or people taking consultant posts who are not on the specialist register. It is important to delineate the difference between a specialist and a consultant because one is a medical qualification and the other is a contractual situation.

That is why it is important for safety and governance to have adequately trained people in the posts.