Paul Donnelly (Dublin West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

While there is obviously demand for services, that is not the reason this decision has been made. When there is demand, that demand needs to be met. One does not change a service to suit the fact that demand cannot be met. That issue has not been addressed. I appreciate CHI will continue the current approach for four weeks but parents will continue to bypass Connolly Hospital and go to Temple Street. I asked what is the upper limit on the number of appointments that can be taken given that there is already massive demand for this service and I am still waiting for an answer.

I appreciate CHI will meet Deputy Cullinane and me next week. We are raising these serious questions, not just about the walk-in service but also about the future of children's services in Dublin. Connolly Hospital is approaching this in the wrong way. If there is demand for services and it cannot be met, it needs to figure out what resources are required to meet the needs of the young children coming to our centre. We must also look at the reason people are going to Connolly and why that demand is there. The reason is that people cannot get a GP appointment or a D-Doc appointment. Their only option is to go to the urgent care centre at Connolly. That service is now going to be appointment only. The fear of parents is that if they cannot get a GP or D-Doc appointment, the time may come when they cannot get an appointment at Connolly. That is the fear people have. Incrementally, over recent years, it has become virtually impossible to get a GP appointment in Dublin 15. This is the consequence of that.

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