A&E units needed for alcohol abuse victims, says Labour

THE Labour Party has urged hospitals to consider introducing separate areas of accident and emergency units for patients suffering from alcohol abuse.

Dublin Central TD Joe Costello said this would help to protect vulnerable patients, in particular the elderly, from the growing number of intoxicated people seeking admission to A&E wards.

Mr Costello was speaking after a delegation led by Labour leader Pat Rabbitte and the party's health spokesperson Liz McManus visited Dublin's Mater Hospital yesterday. They met with patients and staff to assess the effect of recent government cutbacks.

Mr Costello described the visit as an eye-opener about the true state of the crisis in Irish healthcare. The three politicians also discussed the hospital's current financial situation with the Mater's chief executive, Martin Cowley.

Earlier this year the hospital announced the closure of 115 beds due to strict spending limits imposed by the Government.

In addition, staff numbers will be reduced by around 160 due to budgetary constraints as the Mater is facing a €12m deficit this year.

Mr Costello's said the delegation had a forthright exchange of views with Mr Cowley and his senior staff.

"What is clear is the main cause is the budgetary restriction that sees the hospital operate on the same budget this year as last, while continuing to suffer from overhanging debt from previous years," said Mr Costello.

He claimed the hospital's main A&E department was at breaking point, despite the best efforts of a dedicated staff.

"It is to their credit that despite a series of redundancies, long hours and the traumatic working conditions, they continue to help so many people each day. What we saw and heard (in the Mater) only reinforces the view that the Government has completely failed the Irish health service," said Mr Costello.

However, he praised Mr Cowley and his staff in managing to confine the actual number of bed closures to 84, rather than the planned 115. Mr Costello criticised the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, for standing by when the main hospital in his own constituency was in crisis with patients needing treatment forced to wait on trolleys.

Meanwhile, a consultant haematologist has likened conditions in the cancer ward at Our Lady's Hospital for Sick Children, Crumlin to a slum.

Professor Owen Smith blamed the Department of Finance for the deplorable state of the oncology services at Our Lady's because of its failure to provide funding for long-overdue improvements.

"There is full agreement between ourselves, the Eastern Regional Health Authority and the Department of Health that the facilities need to be urgently improved. But the Department of Finance is refusing to unleash the money. It's an absolute scandal," he said.

Professor Smith added: "This is the only show in town the only place where sick children with cancer can come, but we're working with eastern European standards," he said. "We know if the money was released we could have a new facility up and running within six months. The Department of Health and the ERHA are pulling their weight, but finance is not," he said.