Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Again, I thank the Deputies for raising this very important issue. They made many points which I strongly support. For example, I agree with Deputy Joe Carey on using Ennis general hospital to take some of the burden. He also raised issues regarding the medical assessment unit. As to whether I agree that smaller hospitals can play a bigger role in dealing with this issue, I absolutely agree, and I will convey that view at Cabinet and to the Minister for Health.

Deputy Tom Neville spoke of speeding up the process, fast-tracking the project and An Bord Pleanála. This is something on which we have to act. I agree that it is not acceptable to have patients on trolleys for two or three days. We need to be more proactive and think differently. That is very important when we are planning and designing the health service.

The health service capacity review indicates that Ireland has one of the highest bed occupancy rates in the developed world, at 94%. That is significantly ahead of the OECD average of 77%. This is why the Government has approved a record level of capital investment in health - €10.9 billion over the next ten years. This will provide for major enhancement of the capacity of our health services to meet demand, the issue raised by the Deputies. However, increasing capacity alone will not address the challenges faced by the health system. Investment and reform must go hand in hand. The Sláintecare implementation strategy, which was recently published, provides the framework for how our health service reforms can be realised across primary and social care, as well as acute care. We have now commenced the implementation of the Sláintecare programme.

We all acknowledge that the challenges we face are significant. Of that there is little doubt. However, it is my firm belief that all of us here want to find the right solutions. I have heard some of the Deputies' suggestions but solutions have to be patient-centred, evidence-based, results-focused and sustainable in order to deal with the challenges facing our health services.

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