Michael McNamara (Clare, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his reply. There was not a sentence in it with which I could possibly disagree. We all agree that we want to have the highest possible standards of care across the health system, but especially for elderly people who contributed to the State, built it up and frequently created excellent facilities from what were work houses across County Clare and turned them into care facilities of which any country could be proud. The standard of care provided there is second to none.

I know anecdotally, although the Minister of State will not be particularly interested in anecdotal evidence, that treatment is frequently better in public facilities than in private facilities, hence the huge queue for treatment in public facilities.

On the issue of patient-centred standards, if one were to take a survey of patients in care, I wonder whether they would want to be in single rooms or prefer to be in rooms accommodating four, five or even six patients. I wonder when the time period applying to these standards runs out, as it inevitably will, whether a detailed survey on that issue will be carried out. I accept these points are based on my observations and are anecdotal as opposed to being based on statistics and rational evidence and that it does not meet any of the tests, but from what I have seen, I think many people would prefer to be in communal rooms.

It is important that we have an independent body but it is also important that an independent body is not beyond reproach or certainly not beyond accountability. Efforts by families members of patients moved from St. Anne's to get in contact with HIQA were singularly unsuccessful. I do not blame HIQA for that because it believes that to safeguard its independence it cannot engage in a dialogue, but there must be some mechanism by which people who feel aggrieved or feel there is a discrepancy between two reports can have their concerns addressed.

Inspections are important but they must be carried out uniformly. There is not a uniformity apparent to me with regard to these two reports. I appreciate I am bringing up these specifics to the Minister of State for the first time and that HIQA is independent and therefore there is very little that he can do. I urge HIQA to examine the uniformity of its inspections and also to examine how it deals with relatives of patients who are unhappy with the results of the inspections, even if they were carried out in the very best interests of the patients.

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