Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 187: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children the membership of the task force she is assembling to address the accident and emergency crisis; and in particular, who is or are the patient representative(s) on the task force. [11964/06]

Mary Harney (Dublin Mid West, Progressive Democrats)
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The Health Service Executive has established a dedicated team to drive the implementation of its framework for addressing accident and emergency services. The team includes: Ms Angela Fitzgerald, who is the acute hospitals network manager of the HSE and the chairperson of the dedicated team; Mr. Jim Breslin, who is the assistant director of primary, community and continuing care in the HSE; Mr. Gerard McCarthy, who is an accident and emergency consultant at Cork University Hospital; Mr. GerryLane who is an accident and emergency consultant at Letterkenny General Hospital; Dr. Conor Burke, who is a respiratory physician at James Connolly Memorial Hospital in Blanchardstown; Dr. Dermot Power, who is a consultant geriatrician at Mater Misericordiae Hospital; Ms Mary McHugh, who is the director of nursing at University College Hospital, Galway; Mr. Ian Carter, who is the chief executive officer of St. James's Hospital; and Dr. Emer Feely, who is a specialist in public health medicine with the HSE.

The proposed approach of the accident and emergency framework is to focus on hospitals which have persistent challenges in accident and emergency departments, to establish clear targets for performance improvement and to develop practical and focussed ways of delivering sustained improvement in accident and emergency services. The key objectives of the framework are to reduce the numbers waiting in accident and emergency departments, to reduce the length of time patients spend waiting and to improve the overall patient experience. Every available action that can be taken will be taken to improve patients' experience of care.