Hospitals: Health cuts hampering cancer care

The CEOs of four of the country’s biggest hospitals have written to the HSE warning that years of health cuts have created “unacceptable delays” in accessing cancer treatment and are threatening the quality and safety of patient care.

In the letter, senior management at Tallaght Hospital, St James’s, the Mater, and Our Lady’s Hospital Crumlin said there was “clear evidence” of patient care being undermined by five years of austerity.

The CEOs described the €206m cuts in their health budgets over the past five years as “shortsighted” and said if they continue, they will “damage the foundation” of the health system.