Dr. Edward Mathews:

Perhaps I need to work on my body language if that is the case as it was not a particular wish to come in. In nodding as Deputy Lahart was speaking I was acknowledging the diversity of views. It is not the position of our organisation that it is either wrong or right. There is great diversity in the views. When we conducted research in preparation for today I was most moved by was the level of work that has been done on the exposure of nurses to human suffering, the appropriateness of the response to this human suffering and the importance of palliative care. I began our submission by saying that one is not the same as the other. Notwithstanding any decision made arising from recommendations from this place to the other place, the nature of palliative care services must be improved. Accessibility must be improved. We must ensure that people have the services they need where they need them. Whether or not this is an adequate response and whether additional steps are required are matters of fact in some circumstances but also significant personal, moral and ethical viewpoints, in which there is great diversity. We are an organisation that is loyal to its members and our members hold diverse views on these points. I am trying to represent them fairly. Whatever decision is made, or whatever might be recommended, one thing is very clear: every member of our organisation would say that palliative care services require additional investment and they need to be improved.