Maria Byrne (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State. While I acknowledge there has been significant investment and expansion of services, it is not enough. This report has made that clear. I am disappointed that the Department has not acknowledged that services need to be expanded further. I acknowledge the Department is awaiting the expert report but it is not right that the people of the mid-west are subjected to these conditions. It is the most overcrowded hospital in the country.

There are many good things about the hospital. It has won several awards in different areas. Not all the departments are affected by overcrowding - I do not want the story to go out that they are - but the emergency department is a significant concern and needs to be attended to. The Minister must acknowledge straightaway that these issues need to be dealt with because the situation is at crisis point. It is very deflating for staff, families and patients to hear other patients saying they are afraid to go to the hospital. That is the most frightening statement a person could make. That needs to be acknowledged by the Minister.

The Department and the HSE cannot afford to put their heads in the sand any more. There has been significant investment but there is a need for an independent group to see what is working right and what is not working, bring the two together and deliver a report. Any such report must not sit on a shelf, however; it needs to be implemented.