Minister gets message from A&E postcards

UP to 30% of accident and emergency mortalities are caused by patients waiting on trolleys in overcrowded A&E wards, consultants warned yesterday.

The Irish Hospital Consultants Association (IHCA) told the Oireachtas Health Committee that pressure on A&E units could be causing up to 30% additional mortality.

It demanded 3,000 extra beds in the state’s hospitals to cope with the country’s growing population.