Frances Fitzgerald (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy is a former Minister for Health and knows that we must examine how trauma patients can best be dealt with. That is what the study is about. It is important not to raise unnecessary anxiety. I have outlined the position in emergency departments. It is not about closing them or diminishing services. Currently, there are no plans to close or remove trauma services from hospitals. However, it is extremely important to examine this very small percentage of patients, obtain the report and discuss in a rational way the best way to deal with people suffering from a particular type of trauma and where is the best place to bring a person with, for example, a head injury after a car accident. It might not be the nearest emergency department but a specialist trauma centre.

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