Ollie Wilkinson (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

I am delighted to have the opportunity to contribute to the debate on this important Bill. There is no doubt the disclosures during the past year or so on conditions pertaining in some nursing homes shocked us all. It is hard to believe that in this day and age when so much money is being spent on health care generally what happened in these places could happen to our most vulnerable elderly people. These people contributed enormously to the development of this country. In tough times they survived on little and it is only right that they should, in their final years, get the best care available. The disclosures were shocking. It is appalling to think about how these people, regardless of whether we knew them, were treated.

I welcome the publication of this Bill. I am glad that a great deal of work has already been done. That is only right. Even though in many cases it is too late, and we should acknowledge that, it is good that positive action is now being taken. However, as has been said already, legislation alone will not ensure that correct procedures are carried out. There is a great onus on the people who manage the various institutions to ensure that people are treated properly.

What can get lost in this debate is that there are many homes and places of care for elderly people which do a wonderful job. I am aware of many places in my constituency that are top of the range and give top quality service. The voluntary effort that is undertaken in some of these places should also be appreciated. That aspect can often be lost in the ongoing debate. Nevertheless, that standard of care should be available for everybody. There should be no exceptions. I am glad this legislation has been introduced and that work has commenced on putting the procedures in place to implement it.

I will briefly outline HIQA's functions. It is important to know what they are and to analyse them. The authority will undertake the setting and monitoring of standards on safety and quality in health and personal social services provided by the HSE or on behalf of the HSE and will advise the Minister and the HSE on the level of compliance with those standards. It will carry out reviews to ensure the best outcome for resources available to the HSE. That is of paramount importance; the value of such reviews cannot be overstated. The authority will also carry out assessments of health technologies. Of course, things change and technology is constantly improving health services. These assessments are necessary and they should apply to elderly people in care.

The authority will evaluate information on health and social services and the health and welfare of the population. It will advise the Minister and the HSE on deficiencies that are identified. That is being done following the shocking disclosures over the past year or so. The authority will undertake investigations as to the safety, quality and standard of services where the Minister believes there is serious risk to the health or welfare of a person receiving services.

These functions are very simple and one must wonder why they were not in place previously. The recent disclosures have ensured that everybody is now aware of the problems. It was hard to believe that such things were happening. I thank the Minister, Deputy Harney, and the Ministers of State, Deputy Seán Power and Deputy Tim O'Malley, for pushing this process forward. It cannot be pushed hard or fast enough.

Today we are discussing the care of elderly people but yesterday my constituency endured a shocking tragedy, the funeral of a young person. She met a tragic end after inhaling certain substances. That should not happen. It is easy for me to say that and to apportion blame for what happened. It is shocking that a 14 year old girl should lose her life in such tragic circumstances. While I did not know the child personally, I knew the extended family and they have been in contact with me in the past two days. To apportion blame in this case is extremely difficult because it is part of a wider situation. Again, the HSE is in the line of fire but all the services are aware of what happened. There were many associated social, housing, medical and legal problems, ending with that awful tragedy.

I am aware I am digressing but it is not easy to solve problems or to do the right thing in these cases. However, I hope that as a result of what happened the services will be able to examine this situation more closely. My information is that a number of children of the same age are doing the same thing. A period of mourning will be observed and afterwards we will try to do our best to help.

I also wish to refer to the provision of cancer treatment services. It has been a huge issue in the south east. Waterford now has a new private hospital that is treating public and private patients. It is a state-of-the-art facility. While it might not be the final solution to the problem in this regard, it is a wonderful facility in the area. The fact that it will treat public and private patients is important. I appeal to people of all political persuasions to support the concept. That has not happened thus far and, indeed, it has made things very difficult for some time.

The facility is now up and running. It is not the definitive answer to the problem that exists, given that the incidence of cancer is increasing at an alarming rate, but we hope and pray that with the availability of world class technology through the Whitfield Clinic we will move closer to everybody's great desire, which is a cure for the disease.

I appreciate the opportunity to comment on these matters and I welcome the Bill.

See this speech in context