Jim Daly (Cork South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I stress to the House that quality care and patient safety must come first. The means of ensuring that all residents receive the same high standard of quality assured care is through adherence to the national standards in this regard.

In recent weeks, the Deputy will be interested to know that the HSE has requested that the chief officers in each community healthcare organisation area to ensure that, in each case where a visiting restriction has been imposed, the chief officer reviews it with the relevant personnel to establish that the measure is warranted, appropriate and to the least level of restriction possible.

Where a restriction has been applied, it should also be ensured that there is an ongoing review that would allow for it to be lifted as soon as the circumstances leading to the decision no longer prevail or are altered. The guiding principle of the maximum inclusion of families must also be upheld, and it should be ensured that consideration of the issue is informed by the most recent regulatory report in respect of each centre, in so far as that report refers to families, families' views, visiting inclusion etc. Where there is a restriction, the families must be offered independent mediation with local HSE staff. I am assured by the HSE that this process is under way.

From a policy perspective, we have taken a number of steps to ensure that the voice of patients is embedded in the health service. It is intended to appoint two patient advocates to the board of the HSE. Proposals for an independent patient safety council are at an advanced stage and we expect to be in a position to bring proposals to the Government very shortly. I am not going to comment on the individual cases. Sometimes cases are highlighted on the television. The Deputy will be the first to acknowledge that there are other cases that do not make it to the television that are equally concerning to us. I will take on board what has been suggested about an independent appeals process.

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