13 March 2018
By Bryan Smyth
bryan@TheCork.ie
Record trolley figures are absolutely deplorable – says Cork opposition TD Billy Kelleher
Billy Kelleher TD
Fianna Fáil Health Spokesperson Billy Kelleher (A Cork North Central TD) has described the latest INMO figures, which reveal that there are 714 people on trolleys this morning, as “absolutely deplorable”. The figures are the worst ever recorded by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation.
“Last week was the worst week ever experienced for Emergency Department overcrowding. Today we are seeing the worst day ever. It’s truly shocking”, said Deputy Kelleher.
“Not only are the figures themselves completely unacceptable, but the length of time that patients are being kept on trolleys is extremely worrying. I have heard reports of a 64 year old man having spent 109 hours on a trolley in Tallaght hospital – that’s over four and a half days. This is surely some breach of human rights?
“The Minister for Health and the HSE have completely failed people this winter. It is now the middle of March and the situation is actually getting worse.
“It is critical that the capacity review, published earlier this year, is acted on as a matter of urgency. To have 714 people awaiting admission shows the distance we need to go before our health system is able to cope with the demands that are being put on it. A population that is getting progressively older means that these problems are not likely to go away soon and the Minister must act without delay”.