Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Donnelly for raising this issue. On Monday, there were 38 people on trolleys in Mayo University Hospital, yet there are unopened beds in Ballina, Swinford and Belmullet district hospitals. If these beds were opened and properly managed, they would allow for a proper step-down facility for Mayo University Hospital.

Our community services are under tremendous pressure. The Minister maintains that he is investing money in community services but the extra investment in home help hours in six counties in the midlands resulted in only 20 extra home help hours. We have not been provided with the figures for other areas. Some 20 extra hours will not make much of a difference. As I have said before, the Minister needs to follow the money. Is the extra money resulting in extra home help hours or is it being spent on extra administration costs?

The Minister and the HSE have declared war on a key component of primary care, our pharmacists. The pharmacists' contract and the withdrawal of funding for phased dispensing are causing enormous difficulties for pharmacists. The Minister is impairing their ability to play a part in resolving this issue. The moratorium that is not a moratorium is impacting on replacement appointments for positions right across the service. If the moratorium that is not a moratorium was not in place, we would have personnel in position to reopen the beds that need to be opened.

I noted the cases mentioned by Deputies Donnelly and Browne. We are hearing about similar cases all the time. We have become anaesthetised to their impact. I believe the Minister hopes that is the case. The people of this country just cannot get their heads around the fact that this is happening day in, day out in every hospital despite the phenomenal efforts of staff. The Minister has to take control of the matter. It is only November and every one of the winter records is already being broken. Will the Minister please wake up and take control?

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