Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)

The Government's top health service priority is to tackle the difficulties with accident and emergency services. I said I wanted the accident and emergency situation to be treated as an emergency to increase the pace with which better outcomes are achieved for patients. The Government's objectives are to reduce the number of people waiting for admission, the amount of time they spend waiting for admission and the turnaround time for those who can be treated without requiring admission. As the Minister for Health and Children, it is appropriate for me to exhort maximum effort and speed from all concerned to improve care for patients. The HSE, which is continuing to implement the ten-point action plan, is also implementing other initiatives, including the establishment of performance targets for individual hospitals and the development of financial incentives which are linked to performance. In the immediate term, the HSE is introducing a series of measures to improve facilities for patients and staff in accident and emergency departments. Long-term care beds are being secured from the private sector to facilitate the discharge of patients who have completed the acute phase of their care. Additional acute beds and day places have been provided in recent years and more beds are in various stages of planning. I share Professor Drumm's view that the achievement of improvements in accident and emergency services depends on fundamental changes being made in hospitals and in other areas of the health service. It is not just a question of putting extra acute beds in place. The measures being examined by the HSE include improvements in hospital processes and procedures to ensure they operate more effectively, the introduction of rigorous admission and discharge planning processes, the broadening of access to diagnostic facilities and the enhancement and development of primary and community care services.

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