Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I wish to follow up on the comments of Deputy Catherine Connolly. I am a great believer in trusting everyone until they prove unworthy of it. I raised yesterday with the Taoiseach the case of a woman called Jane Johnstone, who was having an horrendous time with the HSE in Wexford owing to her having had the audacity to stand up for herself and her two autistic children. I wish it were otherwise but the HSE has not earned our respect with its behaviour. As Deputy Clare Daly said, the tendency just to circle the wagons whenever a problem arises and to enter the zone of denial is rampant within the organisation. Perhaps Wexford is particularly bad but we have had such an horrendous experience with the HSE there for so long over a number of issues. All we are recommending tonight is the introduction of best practice to change behaviour. The idea that behaviour will change if we leave it to the institution is not valid because our experience has taught us otherwise.

The English have mandatory reporting of serious incidents. Their problems with the National Health Service are probably not quite as bad as our problems with the HSE. The English have found mandatory reporting to be positive. Introducing rules and regulations that guarantee better practice represents a common-sense way forward and it is not revolutionary. It is common sense because we want better practice from the HSE and a better service for the people who engage with it. What we are asking for is not in any way extreme.

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