Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)

——it must provide more and more are being provided. A number of things must be done. Obviously, rehabilitation capacity is also important as many people in the acute system await rehabilitation. This is the reason the building of the new hospital and additional rehabilitation capacity is important. I understand that one of the co-location proposals, from Blanchardstown, may include step-down facilities.

As for trolleys, some people spend all their time, perhaps 24 hours, being observed on a trolley. Recently, a close friend of mine who would be known to many Members had such an experience in a Dublin hospital. He told me it was a very pleasant experience. There will always be people on trolleys and many people are treated on them. The issue is the length of time someone must wait to be dealt with in an accident and emergency department. Some of the private clinics that have opened in the Dublin area, which have been subject to much criticism, operate a target of one or two hours from the time one enters to the time one leaves. I accept they deal with minor injuries.

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