FF says emergency healthcare is on the brink of collapse

Emergency healthcare is on the brink of collapse, opposition parties have warned.

Fianna Fáil health spokesperson Billy Kelleher said that hospitals were in the grip of a “vicious cycle” where underfunding in one area was having a detrimental impact on others after claims it could cost more than €100m to deal with the trolley crisis.

Mr Kelleher predicted the “unrealistic” health budget would need an emergency supplement to keep things going.

“The emergency treatment service is on the verge of collapse.

“Now we are being told it will cost €100m to deal with the trolley crisis.

“There i s not enough money for the Fair Deal scheme, and home care and that is having a knock-on effect on the emergency departments — it’s a vicious cycle,” Mr Kelleher said.

The HSE refused to comment on reports that €100m is needed to sort out the blockage in emergency departments, which have seen up to 601 patients left on trolleys due to lack of beds.

Health Minister Leo Varadkar would not be drawn on the cost of dealing with the emergency.

“The upcoming report of the Emergency Department taskforce will specify the actions required to address these matters and provide a clearer picture of any adjustments or re-focusing of resources to deal with the problems concerned.

“The number of delayed discharges has fallen from a peak of 850 to fewer than 700, and the number of patients on trolleys has fallen this week compared to last. So the actions taken to date are working, but they need to be sustained and intensified,” a spokesperson for Mr Varadkar said.

Mr Kelleher accused the health minister of taking a “bystander” attitude to the problems, rather than getting to grips with them.

Mr Varadkar has insisted the trolley crisis is the result of long-standing issues and cannot be solved by extra resources alone, but through far-reaching changes to the way the health service operates.