Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)

The background to this matter concerns whether there is a level below which guarantees concerning health will be made to Irish citizens. Professor Drumm seems to be operating a system which is based entirely on a business model. He says he must function within an allocation and, in order to meet it, will let staff go if necessary. What happened in Galway is a dramatic anticipation of that. For example, this morning the number of patients awaiting admission to the emergency department at University College Hospital Galway hit an all-time high with 40 patients on trolleys. Six of those had intravenous infusions and had to be treated in the public waiting room of the accident and emergency unit.

I support the statement issued earlier today by the Irish Nurses Organisation, which made the point that yesterday two nurses were expected to assess 96 patients who checked in between 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. Who is responsible for this situation? Is it Professor Drumm, the Minister, the HSE or the Department of Health and Children? Whoever it is, they are responsible for allowing health care to sink to a level at which professional standards cannot be sustained. This is a most serious matter. University College Hospital Galway simply ran out of space.

I recall that a former Attorney General ruled that the Minister is responsible for the minimum care of every citizen. It is not a delegable responsibility, so she must answer for this. In my view, Professor Drumm is not free to operate the model he is currently operating, which includes 40 patients on trolleys in Galway. Shamefully, in many cases, there are no cubicles for patients who are accommodated on trolleys, and no space for them in the hospital corridors. Therefore, there is no privacy or any concept of a minimum level of dignity. In addition, nurses are being asked to compromise their professional standards. To its credit, the INO says it cannot stand over the quality of care it delivers to patients in such circumstances. The INO further states that such things are happening daily in our hospitals.

Over a long period, I have received unsolicited e-mails from the HSE telling me about the number of people waiting in accident and emergency units practically all over the country. I do not want to receive such e-mails, but I do want to know who is guaranteeing the minimum standards in situations such as the one I have described. Will the Minister accept responsibility? Will she intervene through the Department under the HSE, not only regarding accident and emergency units but also concerning respite care and home helps? The Government will be held accountable in this House to provide a basic, minimum service. Those affected in Galway were very patient yesterday. Most of those who witnessed what took place accepted that there had been breaches of the Health and Safety Authority's guidelines. They also accepted that the staff were doing their best. They are hard workers but should not be put in such a position. At midday today, after I had submitted this matter for discussion on the Adjournment, there were 25 patients awaiting admission at the accident and emergency unit in Galway.

Professor Drumm should get out of the way if he is obstructing decent standards in hospitals. The Minister has a constitutional and legal responsibility to this House. She never got the right to transfer and delegate responsibility for basic minimum health standards to anybody else.

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