Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)

I move amendment No. 1:

To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:

—recognises the pressures on some of our accident and emergency departments and acknowledges that the abuse of alcohol is a significant contributory factor;

—supports the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children in her determination to bring about improvements in the accident and emergency services available to patients;

—welcomes the steps being taken by the Health Service Executive to implement the ten point plan announced by the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children to improve the delivery of accident and emergency services;

—notes the recommendations made by the Health and Safety Authority following its recent inspection of certain accident and emergency departments and calls on hospital staff at all levels to work together on their implementation; and

—supports the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform in his efforts to tackle public order, particularly as it impacts on staff who deliver emergency care.

I welcome the opportunity in responding to this motion to underline once again the Government's commitment and actions to improve patients' experience of accident and emergency services in our hospitals. I will address later some detailed points about alcohol abuse and accident and emergency services, and the actions we are taking in this area. I will first take a wider view of the challenge of improving accident and emergency services, a perspective that is somewhat lacking in the Opposition motion.

A recent analysis of our accident and emergency issues by a non-political body stated:

Across the world the pressure on accident and emergency services has been increasing. In Australia 80% of patients waited for more than four hours at accident and emergency in 2004, while in Canada 6% of patients waited 24 hours or more for admission in 2002. The Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians has described their overcrowding problem as a 'national epidemic'.

The writer continues:

Ireland's problems are not insoluble. There are viable solutions to the accident and emergency crisis. Two recent reports on accident and emergency services in February 2002 and acute medical units in October 2004, both published by Comhairle na hOspidéal, offer clear recommendations which, when implemented, will have a significantly beneficial effect and should prompt appropriate and efficient management of emergency hospital referrals.

This is the Irish Medical Organisation's view and I concur. We have taken all the reports and the analysis and we are now implementing solutions. The IMO goes on to say about the actions we are taking: "The 'whole system' approach and the underlying strategy . . . is correct; to reduce demand and increase the efficient use of current facilities."

To improve all patients' experiences of accident and emergency units, we must deal with the medical and care needs of the people comprising 1.2 million attendances per year, 3,300 patients per day on average, at our accident and emergency departments. This is not a simple matter for Ireland or elsewhere. The ten-point plan for accident and emergency services is a beginning, not an end.

See this speech in context