Letterkenny University Hospital
Sinn Féin Finance Spokesperson Deputy Pearse Doherty has called on the Minister for Health to do more to tackle the problem of overcrowding at Letterkenny University Hospital following the release of official figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwifes Organisation (INMO) which reveal that a total of 557 patients were waiting on trolleys, chairs and additional bedding at the hospital’s Emergency Department during the first half of 2016.
Reacting to the figures, Deputy Doherty said that while it is to be welcomed that the overall overcrowding numbers for the period are lower than those from the year previous, he believes that more still needs to be done to address the problem of overcrowding at the hospital.
Deputy Doherty said: “These figures from the INMO show that there has been a marked decrease in the overall overcrowding levels at Letterkenny University Hospital’s Emergency Department compared to the same period in 2015.
“According to the organisation’s official ‘Trolley/Ward Watch’ register, a total of 557 patients were recorded as having spent time on a trolley, chair or overspill bed at the hospital during the period January to the end of June.
“Of course, while this decrease is to be very much welcomed, it is clear that one patient waiting on a trolley or chair is one patient too many.
“The INMO itself has cautiously welcomed the numbers which are down overall across the acute public hospital network, however the organisation has pointed out that the figures have been assisted by the improving and mild weather conditions which we’ve experienced so far this year, relative to previous years.
“The organisation has also credited this reduction to the continued implementation of the ED agreement, between the INMO, the Department of Health and the HSE which has prioritised Emergency Departments at a system wide level.
“However, I very much believe that more work needs to be done to further tackle the problem of overcrowding which continues to be an all too common feature of our health service.
“I and my party have long been critical of the inadequate recruitment of frontline staff across the hospital network, and this is something which the INMO too are calling to be addressed, including the lifting of the current recruitment pause across the HSE.
“This is why I will this week once again be raising these figure with the Minister for Health, and I will be asking him what additional measures he will now take to ensure that overcrowding is further reduced and eradicated at Letterkenny University Hospital in the months ahead.”