Damien English (Meath West, Fine Gael)

I stand over those quotes absolutely and will not change my views because it is still a capacity issue. People may talk about trying to close Navan accident and emergency unit and putting those patients into Drogheda instead, but it cannot happen. It should not happen and it is wrong. I stand over what I said because Drogheda cannot cope. We were told for a long time in Meath that Fianna Fáil and the HSE planned to close the accident and emergency unit at Navan eventually or to reduce the opening hours. We were also told that would only happen if there was capacity elsewhere, but there is none. As a GP in that area in his previous occupation, the Minister for Health, Deputy Reilly, knows exactly what the capacity issue is in the north east. It cannot cope.

Deputy Ó Caoláin is also familiar with the position and I am glad he quoted me last night, thus giving me a chance to clarify the matter because it is wrong. People need access to accident and emergency services, without standing in a queue of 50 other patients or lying on a trolley, as is happening in Drogheda now. I want to clarify one thing Deputy Ó Caoláin said last night which was wrong. It is important to get it right because in arguing with the HSE and Ministers to keep services open, they must know that they are open. Last night, the Deputy said no ambulances are accepted in Navan at the moment and those that are presented are assessed and diverted, but that is not true. All medical cases are accepted in Navan except those involving trauma. That amounts to about 80% of those who would attend Navan accident and emergency unit or 17,000 people annually. It is important to clarify that because if people think it has already gone we will certainly not get it back.

The fight here is to ensure we keep the service in Navan. I am glad to be part of a cross-community, cross-party group which is fighting for such services at Navan hospital. It is a good group comprising TDs from all parties, as well as consultants, GPs and other health staff.

Medical staff must be involved in and consulted on any changes in any of our hospitals, although it has not happened to date. It is lunacy to withdraw services from, or even add services to, hospitals without asking those who work there about it. I am glad we will have a meeting next week with the action group, and the consultants and staff of Navan hospital, to put their case to the Minister and thus be involved in any future plans.

Deputy Ó Caoláin specifically mentioned Navan accident and emergency unit last night but there is no reason why it should close next week, or have its hours reduced, because the same staff who are operating there today will be there next week and the week after. There is no change so there is no excuse for anybody to try to reduce services there.

We must end this stupid way of doing business whereby every six months we must check to see if there are enough junior doctors in place. It has been the same since I started in politics over ten years ago, but it is not the way to run a service. I am glad the Minister for Health has plans to change that. Hopefully the bands can be addressed and adjusted to suit various areas. At least he is going to try to tackle it and not let it drag on for ten or 15 years, which happened in the past. It was not good enough, so we must fix this once and for all.

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