Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

There are two sides to this. I would agree with Deputy Conway-Walsh's comments and indeed, those from the clinicians and the hospital that we need more beds and facilities. However, there is an awful lot more that they could be doing with what they already have. For example, the last time I met with the team not long ago, they said that they needed more diagnostic suites and theatres. I asked how often they run the diagnostic and theatre services. Broadly, those services are run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday. The first thing we need is not more theatres, but more theatre nurses to run the theatres that are in place for longer. In fact, it is one of the core points in the new consultant contract. We have to get away from running theatres, diagnostic suites and outpatient clinics from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to Friday. It does not work for patients. Yes, we need more investment, but we must also put the question back to the hospitals and the clinics. Theatre and diagnostic services need to be available outside the hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday, and patients need to be discharged at the weekend, which typically does not happen, to free up more of those beds. That needs to happen as well as the additional investment.

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