Stephen Donnelly (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank Senators for the speedy passage of the Bill through Committee and Remaining Stages. It is an important Bill as we know. It provides for mandatory open disclosure for serious patient safety incidents. It also provides for the notification of those incidents to the relevant regulator. It extends HIQA's remit to private hospitals, which is very important. It also contains provisions supporting clinical audit, something on which we need to move from strength to strength to continually increase patient safety.

As colleagues are aware, our goal on universal healthcare is very clear. One of the pillars of universal healthcare is driving down the costs of healthcare. Last night we debated a Bill to remove hospital charges for patients. It also means driving down waiting lists. I am very happy to say that there were 150,000 fewer men, women and children waiting longer than the agreed Sláintecare targets at the end of last year than there were at the peak of Covid. We have a lot of work to do but it is moving in the right direction.

Another pillar of universal healthcare is patient outcomes, including the patient experience. The patient safety Bill is critical to achieving the best possible safety and clinical outcomes for patients and to ensure that patients are listened to and respected and that their experiences and voices are put front and centre.

I thank Senators. I acknowledge the work done on the Bill by patient advocates over a significant period of time. It is an important Bill and I acknowledge the backing of many patient advocates for it. I acknowledge the substantial amount of work done by officials in the Department and by our teams, including our clinical teams, throughout the public health service to get the Bill to where it is today. It is new and groundbreaking legislation that will make the patient experience in our healthcare system better and safer.