The SAOLTA group have been accused of having no long-term plan for overcrowding at Letterkenny University Hospital.
The claim was made by Cllr Gerry McMonagle, a member of the Regional Health Forum.
The Letterkenny-based Sinn Fein county councillor received responses to his query on overcrowding at an RHF meeting in Galway.
A furious Councillor McMonagle said “They are in total denial to what is actually happening across their board area with knee jerk solutions being implemented by management to get them over the latest crisis.
“It’s quite clear the model of management they have adopted is failing and putting patients and staff at risk. Their confirmation that they are looking at providing portacabins as a short term means to address the trolley crisis speaks volumes of the lack of a long term strategy.”
He added that what is needed to address this increasing crisis is extra long term beds, extra Homecare Packages and increased investment in our community hospitals and not further portacabins.
He added “The dignity of patients and protection of staff must be paramount. Nurses and doctors are working in very difficult circumstances and must be protected. The Minister must intervene and see that LUH gets the funding it requires to address this emergency of patients continually on trollies and operations being cancelled.”
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