Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have to put on the record of the Dáil that HIQA is an independent body. I know from dealing with nursing homes, community nursing units and community hospitals throughout the country, and from any dealings I have had with HIQA, that it is an independent body.

The 2018 health service capacity review was clear on the need for a major investment in additional capacity in both acute hospitals and the community, combined with a wide-scale reform of the manner and the location of where health services are provided.

I will follow up today on Deputy McNamara's two questions - about the correspondence being published and a review being considered - to try to get him a substantial answer. I am aware that in relation to the question of the review of UHL, HIQA is closely monitoring the overcrowding situation in a number of hospitals, including Limerick over the past number of weeks and has had recent correspondence with the hospital group CEO regarding its evaluation of the current factors influencing crowding in the emergency department. I will bring the Deputies' concerns to the Minister, Deputy Stephen Donnelly.

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