James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator. Sometimes it is easy to look at the headline figures on how many doctors or nurses there are and how many millions or billions of euro are spent, but that is no longer our focus, nor can it be. We must change the model of care. It must now be about outcomes for patients – how many are seen, how many are treated and how quickly, and how many had to be seen a second time because they were not treated properly the first time.

I wish to put some facts on the record. Notwithstanding all the brouhaha about emergency departments in the first six weeks of this year – there is no doubt there has been pressure – the numbers are still 3% lower than this time last year. From 2011 to 2013 there was a 34% drop in the number of people in emergency departments who had to endure long waits on trolleys. Last year, 99% of people received inpatient treatment within eight months. That compares to a time before we were in government, when nobody knew how long they would have to wait. Very often it was a case of years. For the first time ever we did count the outpatient waiting list. More than 103,000 would have been waiting for longer than a year by the end of the year, but only 4,500 are still waiting. That is still 4,500 too many. It is a hardship for people to have to wait that long. We are addressing the issue as well. We are making real changes and at the same time we are continuing the reforms.

I must point out that there are more GPs now in the GMS than three years ago. There are also more consultants. Last year, notwithstanding the moratorium, we recruited more than 700 nurses. We are changing the model of care. We want to move away from a situation in which consultants are seeing patients that GPs or advanced nurse practitioners could be looking after, GPs are looking after patients that nurses could be looking after or nurses are looking after patients that health care assistants could be looking after. We are also focusing on the role of allied health care professionals, speech and language therapists, occupational therapists and physiotherapists, who can do much work if they are allowed. The role of the community pharmacist is also being considered. All of the current models must change. The model of care must change from episodic treatment to more prevention and secondary prevention through chronic illness care and preventing people from getting the complications that result in their being in hospital, which causes them much pain and distress and costs the taxpayer so much money. I will endeavour to get the Senator the information he sought. I thank him for raising the issue. The future for Waterford Regional Hospital will be extremely bright.