No new cash for A&E, says Harney

THERE will be no new cash spent this year on relieving the pressure on hospitals' accident and emergency departments, Tánaiste and Health Minister Mary Harney told the Dáil yesterday.

And she said there was no need for new legislation to recruit more nurses as Ireland had more nurses per capita than anywhere else in the world.

Everything does not require more money, Ms Harney told Sinn Féin TD Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin.

Irish Nurses Organisation (INO) general secretary Liam Doran said nurses did not want to take up vacant positions because the pay was too low and the work too hard.

He said it was very disappointing the minister was not going to spend additional money on the health service this year.

"Money alone won't solve this problem but we have always said that additional financial resources coupled with reform, better management and organisation is needed," he said.

There were more than 130 patients waiting on trolleys yesterday, down from more than 200 on Wednesday, but the INO warned that the numbers could increase over the bank holiday weekend.

Mr Doran said he was astounded that a PR company acting for Dublin's Mater Hospital was claiming the INO was overstating the number of people on trolleys in the hospital.

"That is a sad attack upon the hospital's own frontline staff because we get the figures from members who are working in A&E departments," he said.

Age Action Ireland said money was a huge part of the problem because people on ordinary incomes cannot afford to pay for private nursing home care.

Currently, the maximum nursing home subvention is €190 a week, which can be topped up with enhanced subsidies, depending on the person's circumstances and the health board.

Age Action administrator Paul Murray said he understood that the additional subsidies had only been paid to a small number of elderly people.

Elderly people are being denied the care they deserve because the legislation is not rights-based, he added.

Most of the legislation was enabling in stating that the minister 'may' but rarely says the minister 'shall'.

"We want that to be changed. We want a situation where the legislation requires that the health board does certain things," he said.

Meanwhile, the Irish Senior Citizens Parliament is insisting that older people are not "bed blockers" in the acute hospital system.

"It is too facile a solution to suggest that by moving all older people to nursing homes we will solve the hospital problem," the group said.