Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)

I think I said the aim was to have patients treated within six hours from arrival time. The period should be measured from the time a patient arrives rather than the time he or she is eventually seen by a doctor. An issue in the negotiations on the consultant contract is having more consultant cover to ensure patients will be seen by key decision-makers quicker than is the case currently. We must accept there have been significant improvements, but in addition to improvements at hospital level, we are trying to refocus on primary care — I know the Deputy is an expert in this area — and community care. However, one cannot switch it around overnight. Too many end up at accident and emergency departments who need not be there if we had appropriate out-of-hours cover and, in particular, if general practitioners had access to diagnostics. Many end up going through accident and emergency departments unnecessarily in order to access diagnostics. The HSE is working around a number of these issues. The 24-hour target was set about 18 months ago. The 12-hour target is now being set and we hope to have a six-hour target, but I cannot say when that will happen.

When the figure hit 500, I said the HSE had to deal with the matter as if it were a national emergency and focus totally on it. I am happy to say it has. By and large, each day 95% to 96% of patients who present do not have to endure a long wait on trolleys, but there are still too many who do.

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