Paudie Coffey (Fine Gael)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Áine Brady, to the House for what is an important debate. I compliment Senator Mullen on proposing the motion and bringing the subject matter into the public arena for debate by parliamentarians and national representatives. As other speakers have said, end-of-life matters are very emotive, personal and sensitive. Many families have been devastated by the death of a person close to their hearts, that death being at times dignified but at other times less dignified. In speaking of the good facilities, resources and services that exist we must also acknowledge the weaknesses in our health system and, where there are deficits, address issues such as end-of-life care.

I compliment the Senators on the motion which is very detailed. It provides a clear roadmap to address the deficits and lack of resources to support those with end-of-life issues. There is no doubt that families are at their most exposed and vulnerable when a family member is terminally ill. The objective is to allow the person to die with dignity in the bosom of the family where possible and, where that is not possible, there should be access to the next best thing, namely, a dedicated hospice unit in the community or as close as possible to home so that families and friends can visit and spend time with the person in their last days.

It is important we acknowledge the hospice movement and the considerable and consistent voluntary effort of its members. I can only speak about the evidence I see in Waterford. I am very proud of the people involved there on a voluntary level. They have to raise more than €500,000 per annum to deliver specialised palliative care services in the home. They have been the crutch for the families to whom I referred. Those volunteers identified the shortfalls in our public health system many years ago. The Waterford hospice movement was set up in 1988. After almost 22 years it seems the reality of a dedicated hospice unit based at Waterford Regional Hospital is about to happen. I introduce a word of caution. The unit was promised three years ago and very little has happened in the intervening period, but plans are now on the table and a site has been allocated. Fund-raising is taking place to come up with the charitable contribution towards the service. I have no doubt it will serve Waterford, south Kilkenny and the entire south east very well when it is built. I urge the Minister of State, Deputy Áine Brady, to ensure the HSE and the Department keep the unit as a high priority because volunteers have been working in Waterford for more than 22 years and they need a dedicated unit so that they can concentrate on delivering specialist care in the home, to which many speakers referred.

I will not go into the detail of the specialist care provided by the hospice movement. Other organisations such as the Solas centre in Waterford provide bereavement counselling and therapy sessions not only for those who are ill but for their families as well. They are vital human resources that we must put at the disposal of people when they are most vulnerable.

I welcome the debate because despite the economic crisis and the trauma we are all going through, we must never forget the real life trauma of people who are very ill, because when one is very ill, economics and such issues do not matter. What is important is one's health and having family close. That is something we as politicians and officials in the Department and the Health Service Executive must keep in mind. They need to support the volunteers who have been striving year on year. No one expects someone to wave a magic wand and have the hospice unit built overnight but they need to see real progress in getting closer to having that unit open and available to sick people in their communities. This is an issue we must not lose sight of, which is why I welcome the motion. It identifies clearly from the quality standards an end-of-life strategy for all citizens. Although the Government has moved an amendment, it would do no harm to follow this closely and use the guidelines to reach the service our citizens deserve.