Maurice Hayes (Independent)

The Minister of State, Deputy Tim O'Malley, made an interesting reference to Limerick where a co-operative practice found that only 8% of people presenting had to subsequently attend an accident and emergency unit. Oddly, I found the converse to be the case in a survey of two or three hospitals in Northern Ireland where 92% of people attending accident and emergency units would not have had to be there if proper minor-injury units had been provided. If I were the Minister, I would put my money in that area as is being done in the United Kingdom where walk-in centres are proposed. Such centres will be staffed by nurses and general practitioners, removing a significant population from accident and emergency units.

Even if one wanted to provide 24-hour accident and emergency services and high-level surgery in every hospital, one could not do it. It is not only a matter of money, one cannot get the people. If one could recruit the requisite number of staff, there is not sufficient workload to maintain their skills. An attempt must be made to organise the system in such a way as to concentrate some services while decentralising others, as permitted by modern diagnostic techniques. I encourage the Minister not to let the Hanly report go.