Geraldine Feeney (Fianna Fail)

From my time on An Bord Altranais, the regulatory body for nurses, I have a sense of checks and balances here. The regulatory body would have high standards, particularly in the fitness to practice area. If there was an incident related to patient care or safety, if the fault lay with the nurse, the checks and balances exist and he or she would be called before a fitness to practice inquiry of An Bord Altranais. It is comforting to hear the vetting of staff is so important and that there must be Garda clearance. The nurse would have to have a clean certificate of good practice to be charged with patients of this nature.