Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I do not disagree with anything the Deputy has said. We need action and action is taking place. The whole point of this look-back review was patient-centred. It was to expose failings if they were there and how they happened to ensure that they would not happen in the future. There are 16 recommendations and they are already being implemented in some cases, and they all will be implemented. Yes, there are vacancies across our health system and the HSE and the Department of Health are working to ensure that those vacancies are addressed.

There has been a significant increase in the number of nurses in the healthcare system in the past 12 months. There have also been increases in the numbers of consultant doctors. Therefore, all of the actions for which the Deputy is calling are under way. I agree with him that it is simply not good enough, but all the same, it needs to be said that what families expect and want when their loved ones go into hospital is that they receive the highest quality of care and that if mistakes are made, they will be exposed quickly through the systems that pick them up and that we learn lessons from them in order that they are less likely to be repeated in the future. That is what is happening in this case.

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