Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Independent)

I have seen fantastic examples of more being done for less. Senator Quinn is well experienced in this from a business perspective. When people apply their minds to how they can do things differently and in a more innovative way, it is amazing what can happen. For example, with less money this year Beaumont Hospital has treated more patients than last year. It has fewer inpatient beds and less money but more people are being treated because they are being admitted on a day case basis without the requirement for 24-7 cover. The ambition is that every patent will undergo surgery on a same day basis, given 80% of those who require surgery can come in the morning, have their surgery and go home. That is best practice internationally. We are a long way off but we are moving in that direction. Anyone who needs diagnostics should not, unless it is essential, have to be admitted to access that service.

I look forward to the contributions of Members and to responding to the issues raised. Our health services have improved enormously. There are 6,000 people alive today who would have been dead ten years ago because of the cardiovascular interventions we now have. I instanced the improvements in cancer outcomes and they will improve further with the new services we have in place and the multidisciplinary care. Ireland is fortunate for its size to have clinicians of a world standing for a number of reasons. We can attract and financially reward clinicians as well as they are rewarded almost anywhere in the world. We have attracted high-powered, talented and experienced clinicians, including nurses, to provide world class services to our patients.

There are deficiencies, some of which resulted from the fragmented nature of the service we provided. If one spreads one's resource too thinly in terms of expertise, one does achieve value in terms of outcomes. We have learned that from the cancer service and we must learn it in other areas. Instead of people becoming obsessed with institutions, we need to become obsessed with services. Patients ask me where they can get the best service when they are sick or where they can get the best service for their child.

Last week I met members of Helping Hands. This is a wonderful organisation based in the west of Ireland and its members move into the home when a child has cancer and the parents must travel to Crumlin hospital in Dublin where all cancer treatment for children is centralised. That is why we have one of the best outcomes in the world for childhood cancers. They move in and look after the rest of the family. They take the other children to school, provide food and so on. It is a fantastic organisation. I was talking to one of the parents whose child has survived six years. She said the service in Crumlin hospital was fantastic but when she hears some of the debates, she said, "I feel like ringing up Joe Duffy just to tell him of the experience we had". I encouraged her to do so.