Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Insím don Aire gur mhaith liom mo thacaíocht a thabhairt don rún seo atá curtha os ár gcomhair ar maidin ag an nGrúpa Neamhspleách agus is rún oiriúnach agus fíorthábhachtach é.

This motion rightly acknowledges that MAUs play an integral role in ED avoidance and that LIUs deliver efficient, expert treatment to tens of thousands of patients with minor injuries every year. There is clearly something profoundly wrong with how our health system functions. I have been making the point for years that one of the key issues is the management culture within the HSE itself. Writing in The Irish Times yesterday, Paul Cullen correctly noted the HSE as organisation is "stubbornly resistant to ... change". It is not just about money and we know that. This was also recognised by the Tánaiste. When I raised the issue with him in January, he acknowledged the governance and management issues of the overall edifice of the HSE need to be looked at.

We have staff deficits in almost every area now and the problems associated with this are only going to increase as demographics change. We can see a massively increased level of population growth in addition to an ageing population who require more intensive levels of care. While this motion makes critically important and pragmatic suggestions, their implementation will not take effect until and unless the culture of bureaucratic overmanagement in the HSE changes. How can change come to any organisation that resists change on almost every level?

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