Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I did not meet with the special delivery unit or have the discussion Deputy Adams had the opportunity to have at the committee meeting. I do not have the details of the evidence given to the Deputy at that meeting. Suffice it to say, the Minister for Health indicated that last week, for the first time ever, there was no count of those waiting for trolleys in Galway, which is an exceptionally busy hospital. The escalation alarm in the Mater Hospital was put in train on 8 March because 17 patients were waiting on trolleys. By 4 p.m. that day, during a very busy week, that figure had reduced to four. I have been in many hospitals over the years and it is very unnerving and intrusive for people to be lying on trolleys in hospital corridors while others are passing up and down. Sometimes people are in areas where there is a lack of privacy and people can rightly be put out by this. We need to get to where we implement a strategy of having strong primary care teams and a much stronger community health system where people can remain in their location for as long as possible.

See this speech in context