Alex White (Dublin South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I cannot state the matter any further than I have. I understand the Senator's concern and he has been to the fore on this question and makes his case well, as he has done in the past. Stabilisation is required to be done at an early pre-hospital emergency care stage, and to the extent to which stabilisation is properly done one then looks for the most appropriate facility for the patient. In these circumstances it does not follow that the nearest hospital is the most appropriate. It depends on a clinical assessment. If stabilisation has already been completed it would not be appropriate for a stabilisation unit to be placed in a hospital, as the job can be done at the pre-hospital emergency stage after which the patient goes to hospital. I take the points raised by the Senator.