Pat Buckley (Cork East, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Correct.

When it comes to any form of healthcare, at any stage, quite clearly, the patient must take priority. The patient must be informed, involved and consulted in all aspects of his or her care and treatment. Without this, healthcare will always fall short of what it could be and results will be less positive. Truth, openness and honesty have to be the cornerstone of how the health service engages both with patients and the public, and internally.

The CervicalCheck scandal reveals the damage of a system which is not open and honest. Of course, things can go wrong, but when they do, covering up and circling the wagons is not a solution to any problem. That will only compound that problem. It can potentially have serious health implications for patients, including the most tragic results of all, and in the longer term it damages public confidence in the systems on which the public relies.

A big part of public health is to encourage the population to attend to their health, not only with more healthy lifestyle practices on a daily basis but by seeking out care and consulting with professionals when needed, and trust is the key.

CervicalCheck is something we should be proud of. It is a good initiative which has saved lives, but openness and honesty are essential to ensuring its continued success in this regard and to in whatever way possible right some of the wrongs which we have had exposed to us recently. Of course, some of those failings cannot be corrected, and this should be a watershed moment where we say, "Never again will we allow the system to come before the patient."

Where a problem arises, the structure and culture must be in place to identify it, to raise the alarm and to investigate it. Information, when accurate and shared appropriately, will also benefit the provision of services and the improvement of those services. Above all, the patient has a right to know about their health, their treatment and their options, and in the case where something goes wrong, to know about those failings and to be able to seek redress and remedy.

Real mandatory open disclosure, as set down in this motion, must extend to doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals at all levels, but it should apply across the whole health service, from the ward right up to the very top of the HSE, the Department and the Government. Real mandatory open disclosure can help to build a better service but also ensure that it is one that is trusted by the public because when the people who need that service can trust it then they can fully and confidently engage with it and seek the best care.

I commend Deputy Louise O'Reilly for bringing this motion forward tonight and I ask the House to support it.

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