Bed eventually found for woman, 76, on trolley for 65 hours after heart attack

A BED was eventually found yesterday for an elderly woman with Alzheimer’s disease who spent about 65 hours on a trolley in Dublin’s Mater Hospital following a heart attack.

At one stage, Peg McEntee, aged 76, a mother of nine children from Glasnevin, Dublin, suffered the indignity of having to wear a nappy in the accident and emergency department, because staff were too busy to escort her to the toilet.

Her family said that the woman, who was struggling to breathe and was very distressed, throughout her stay in Accident and Emergency had wished herself dead because she did not want to be a burden to them.

“My mother was well treated by A&E staff. It was really the indignity and discomfort that she suffered that upset us so much,” said her son, Eamonn McEntee, after the woman was moved to a hospital bed.

Labour TD Joe Costello, who has been campaigning for improved facilities at the Mater for more than five years, said Mrs McEntee’s case was typical of others brought to his attention on a regular basis.

A spokeswoman for the Mater Hospital &said the hospital had been operating at 100% occupancy and was relying on discharges from the hospital in order to transfer patients from A&E to beds around the hospital.

“We apologise for any distress caused to Mrs McEntee and her family,” she said.

Fine Gael health spokes-person, Dr James Reilly, criticised comments made by Tánaiste and Taoiseach-designate Brian Cowan when his party leader, Enda Kenny, raised the woman’s plight in the Dáil yesterday.

Dr Reilly said Mr Cowen had claimed health would be a priority but his comments were a disgrace.

“Not only did he (Mr Cowen) fail to apologise to this woman’s family who have been so let down by the health service, but he described the raising of her case as ‘facile’,” he said.

Dr Reilly said he was aware of another case in Cork where a woman was lying on a trolley for 48 hours and her oxygen had run out on two occasions.

He also pointed out that, so far this month, an average of 300 patients were lying on trolleys every day.

“Unfortunately for the patient and for the taxpayer all Brian Cowen showed today is that, on his watch, we are in for more of the same.”