Kenny urged to visit A&E to witness overcrowding

A patient recovering from a brain haemorrhage who had to spend hours on a hospital trolley in a vending machine corridor has called on the Taoiseach and minister for health to visit the overcrowded emergency department.

Earlier this week, 29 patients were on trolleys in the emergency department & at South Tipperary General Hospital in Clonmel. Some were put in trolleys on general hospital corridors and, in the case of Declan McGee, 43, beside a number of vending machines.

After being given a ward bed on Tuesday night, Mr McGee said yesterday he had spent 30 hours in total on a trolley, including Monday night in a paediatric treatment room.

“It’s a disgrace,” said his sister, Helen McGee. “Thirty-plus hours on a trolley, less than four days post-discharge following a brain haemorrhage and forced to be left beside humming vending machines constantly in use in a noisy space.”

It also took 23 hours from her brother’s arrival at the hospital & for him to be given a CT scan to assess any further damage to his brain.

Mr McGee suffered the brain haemorrhage less than three weeks ago and underwent neurosurgery in Cork before being discharged after making good progress. He was initially “doing quite well” at home but went back to hospital in Clonmel on Monday suffering from headaches.

Ms McGee, who is an independent town councillor in Clonmel and works in the hospital as a clerical officer, has written to the Government asking for Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Health Minister James Reilly to visit “and see what the results of the budget cuts are” for themselves.

Mr Kenny told independent TD Seamus Healy this week he would seek a report on the situation from the relevant health managers.

There have also been numerous anecdotes in recent weeks at the hospital of elderly patients undergoing medical examinations in corridors, as well as having to get changed on trolleys in full view of other patients and their visitors.

In a statement, the HSE said there has been an increase in the number of people presenting at the department in recent days, with over 200 from Friday to Sunday. However, it said the amount of patients on trollies had reduced to two by yesterday morning. “STGH regrets that some patients may experience a delay in being transferred from the ED to a hospital bed and apologises for the inconvenience caused.”