A&E crisis prevails two years after Harney call

PATIENTS are continuing to suffer and die because of continued overcrowding in hospital emergency departments (EDs) — two years after Health Minister Mary Harney described the situation as a “national emergency”.

According to doctors, the single biggest issue facing EDs in Ireland continues to be “persistent and excessive over-crowding” with patients who are waiting for beds after being seen by A&E.

Seven EDs out of 18 surveyed in a report in 2006 remain “unfit for purpose” today, according to the Irish Association for Emergency Medicine (IAEM).