Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein)
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I was thinking I might give up this job and take up something like that. I have often said that a common-sense and patient-centred approach is needed rather than ticking boxes. As has been said, the box-ticking has gone mad.

You use very resource you can. It is very simple in that if you do not have one, you ask somebody else whether they do. It is about sharing resources, and that is the reason for my hopes regarding CAMHS. The majority of staff, let us be honest, are in the service because they care. It is not because their jobs are easy. If you bake an apple tart with no apples and it does not taste like an apple tart, you ask yourself what is wrong. Jesus, you do not go back and make the same mistake again. What is happening just drives me mad. That is why I said it is important for us to have the witnesses before us. They are correct that people have to take responsibility, own their work and sometimes challenge. The witnesses have a duty of care in their jobs, as do we. When somebody comes to us with a protected disclosure, we have to go with it. That is our responsibility. You cannot have fear and unfortunately you will sometimes be criticised for doing the right thing.

I am glad it has been put on the record that there has to be a total change of attitude in the whole health system. We criticise managers a lot and praise the lower staff, but there has to be respect throughout the entity. All staff should be working together because the service is called the health service and supposed to serve the people of the country, yet we seem to be constantly going around in circles over red tape, box-ticking to cover one's backside and hiding mistakes. Do not even get me started on the Revised Estimate for the HSE and what it pays out in compensation on foot of court cases. We do not see a single name of anybody held to account. This is because of no oversight. There has to be considerable root-and-branch reform. Sometimes we are told we are anti-this and anti-that but we are not; we are trying to get something right and asking that people stop making the same mistakes time and again, blaming everybody bar themselves and taking responsibility. I am a beaut for making mistakes but, as I say "people do not make mistakes; mistakes make you who you are because you learn from them". I will leave it at that. I thank the witnesses again.