Health experts sceptical HSE changes will improve A&Es

Groups representing doctors and nurses are reacting with scepticism to improvements to Accident and Emergency units at three Dublin Hospitals.

Figures from the Health Service Executive show a reduction of 14% nationally in patients waiting for admission to hospitals from A&E units since last April.

In Dublin, the drop is 20%.

The HSE is announcing improvements at St Vincents, the Mater and St James's A&E departments.

The Irish Nurses Organisation says the HSE has made many promises before on improving A&E departments.

General Secretary Liam Doran is greeting today's announcement with caution and says overall his organisation are greatly sceptical about the announcement.

He said that in the lead-up to Christmas there was no indication that the situation was improving and that the INO’s figures for the first two weeks in December suggested that the A&E situation was getting worse.

Meanwhile, Dr Assam Istiaq of the Irish Medical Organisation says there won't be a significant drop in the number of patients waiting on trolleys, especially outside of Dublin.

He said even if these changes were implemented every year for the next seven years elsewhere in the country only then would we see a tangible difference.

And even with these proposed changes he said it will be five years before there is any improvement in the Dublin situation.