Patients want separate services for drunk A&E goers

The majority of people surveyed in an on-line poll believe hospitals should have separate areas for treating drunk patients who present at A&E.

The poll shows 90% are in favour of the idea and public health experts also want more action from the Health Minister on the issue.

6% did not believe there should be a separate area while 4% were unsure on the issue.

Almost a-third of those who show up in emergency units with injuries have been drinking heavily.

This statistic comes from a recent survey conducted by irishhealth.com amongst 2,500 patients attending A&E departments in six major acute hospitals.

Niall Hunter of Irish-health-dot-com says genuine patients feel drunk ones are wasting scarce resources in A&Es.

Many of them feel that they should be dealt wit h by specialised staff, such as psychiatrists and nurses with expertise in the area, to free up A&E staff to deal with emergency cases, he said.

He added that the Strategic Task Force on Alcohol revealed that alcohol related injuries and patients cost the State €2.6bn a year.