Marcella Corcoran Kennedy (Offaly, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Cathaoirleach for giving the Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris and me the opportunity to speak about our health priorities. I thank Senators for their sincere and passionate contributions on a broad range of issues. These included mental health, local and national service issues, bed capacity, difficulties with emergency departments, our aging population, chronic disease and challenges in the areas of respite and home help care. Senators also referred to the analysis of the hospital groups on the type of services they are delivering, the increase in grade eight administrative positions in the HSE, difficulties with filling clinical vacancies, the all-Ireland approach to health care, home care packages and dementia care. The debate was broad and wide-ranging. Providing a response to many of the specific questions would be a matter for the HSE and I will ensure that Senators get answers to their questions.

I wish to take this opportunity to assure Senators of the Government's commitment to improving the experience of patients and their families using our health services. Improving the health service requires a concerted effort. It is important to highlight the fact that the delivery of health services in this country is the responsibility of the HSE. It implements Government policy, with the budget negotiated for the executive by the Minister for Health, Deputy Simon Harris. As the Minister pointed out earlier, health issues go beyond political affiliations. We all share the same goal and I am glad that there is a willingness to build a consensus in this House. We all want to develop a health service where people feel valued, respected and cared for. However, we cannot and should not underestimate the challenges that we face.

Overcrowding in emergency departments is unacceptable for patients, health care workers and policy makers. The Minister spoke of the various initiatives and efforts to tackle this problem and I echo his sentiments about recognising that when we talk about trolley numbers we are talking about people. The people must be at the core of everything we do. While there are many challenges, we cannot lose sight of the progress we are making. This year we have the highest health budget ever, at €14.6 billion. This represents an unprecedented investment which will make a real difference to the services we can deliver. Of course, delivery of health services by the HSE is not just about resources, but this year's budget allocation does demonstrate the Government's commitment to investing the gains from our recovering economy in improving our health service. We must maintain our focus on the way services are organised and delivered and on reducing costs. We must strive to work with the HSE to maximise the ability of our health service to respond to growing needs.

In respect of my own brief, we must focus on health promotion initiatives. We need to put more emphasis on prevention of health problems before they arise because the majority of chronic diseases are preventable. We also need to increase the uptake of various HSE screening programmes. The HSE website contains a wealth of information on screening programmes for cervical breast and bowel cancer, among others. The HSE also provides wonderful support to those who are trying to quit smoking on www.quit.ie, an excellent website which is well worth visiting.

The Healthy Ireland framework is a Government led initiative which aims to create a society where everyone can enjoy physical and mental health and where well-being is valued and supported at every level. The framework arose out of concerns that the current health status of people living in Ireland, including lifestyle trends and health inequalities, is leading to a future which is dangerously unhealthy and, very likely, unaffordable for us as a society. Healthy Ireland seeks to provide individuals and communities with accurate information on how to improve their health and well-being. It seeks to empower and motivate them by making the healthy choice the easy one.For example, last year the national physical activity plan was launched and the previous year we launched the national sexual health strategy. We are on course to significantly reduce the consumption of tobacco in society by 2025.

I was also delighted to launch A Healthy Weight for Ireland, the obesity action plan up to 2025. The action plan has 60 specific actions to improve this country's health and to reduce the burden of obesity across society. This policy and action plan aim to reverse obesity trends, to prevent health complications and reduce the overall burden for individuals, families, the health system and the wider society and economy.

We all have a role to play in the health and well-being agenda. No one action in isolation will reduce the increasing burden of chronic disease we face in the health service but if we reduce consumption of alcohol and tobacco as well as fat, sugar and salt in the food we eat, increase physical activity and get ourselves screened, we will improve the overall health and well-being of everybody in society. Often the small and sometimes not so small changes in lifestyle and behaviour will make a big difference. It can be challenging but that is the difference we should aim to achieve.