The Minister for Health has emphasised to the HSE the need to ensure the impact of such changes on patients is minimised and that all changes are fully communicated. The HSE has advised the Minister that patients attending the unit after 5 p.m. are mostly review patients who are recalled to the service and can be easily accommodated with minimal inconvenience within the changed opening times. The Minister has also been informed that the internal communications to date in Monaghan hospital have included a series of meetings with key staff and their union representatives and that agreement has been reached on a number of staff redeployments to specific areas of choice.