Sinn Féin TD for Kerry, Pa Daly, has called on the government to adopt a zero-tolerance approach to hospital overcrowding following the publication of the INMO’s Trolley Watch analysis for March.
The figures show an alarming increase at UHK as 338 patients have been without a bed in March. This is the highest figure for the month of March since 2019 when 297 patients were on trollies in UHK.
Teachta Daly demanded that the Minister for Health take urgent action to address the root cause of dysfunction in our hospital which is driving the trolley crisis.
Concerned at High Numbers
Teachta Daly said that he is very concerned by the high number of people waiting on trolleys at UHK.
“Newly published figures show 338 people were without a bed this March at the hospital. Over the past 15 years, we have witnessed persistently high trolley numbers in the hospital, which was already worryingly high and unacceptable.
“It is not uncommon to see high numbers of people waiting on trolleys in UHK for more than nine or even 24 hours,” he continued.
Zero-Tolerance To Hospital Overcrowding
“The government must take a zero-tolerance approach to hospital overcrowding and ensure that Kerry people have access to high quality and timely healthcare.
“I am calling on Stephen Donnelly to take charge of the situation, root out wasteful and poor management practices, and ensure that hospitals adopt better patient management practices.
“This is not a new issue – patients have been suffering the consequences of overcrowding for years.
Elderly and Vulnerable Languishing
“This was made worse with Covid-19, meaning many elderly and vulnerable people languished on trolleys without family able to bring them food, medicine, blankets, or other comfort supplies.
“There is a need for more beds and capacity in diagnostics and surgical theatres, but that is not all. The root causes of emergency department dysfunction are poor patient flow, low hospital capacity, delayed discharges, poor out-of-hours GP coverage and a lack of alternatives in the community.
“There are efficiency reforms that have worked in some hospitals to reduce overcrowding and reduce delays in discharging patients, such as specialist medical wards.
No Recovery Beds Available
“Above all else, we need to join up community and hospital healthcare. Too often, hospitals are left trying to discharge a patient, but there is no recovery bed available for them.
“The long festering problems in primary care and general practice, which are a direct result of not training enough doctors and allied health professionals, need to be dealt with.
“Patients at UHK deserve better and the government must do everything possible to address this crisis urgently,” said Teachta Daly.
You can contact The Maine Valley Post on… Anyone in The Maine Valley Post catchment area who would like to send us news and captioned photographs for inclusion can send them to: jreidy@mainevalleypost.com Queries about advertising and any other matters regarding The Maine Valley Post can also be sent to that address or just ring: 087 23 59 467.
