INMO: 'It shouldn't take a personal visit' for politicians to know what EDs are like
The general secretary of the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) Phil Ní Sheaghdha has said it should not take a personal visit to the emergency department for the political system to know that citizens should not be subjected to lengthy waiting times.
She was responding to comments by Fine Gael TD Kate O’Connell at an Oireachtas committee meeting on health on Wednesday where she said the conditions in a hospital emergency department she attended with her child in recent days
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She said she had attended Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin over the weekend with a child.
“Kate O'Connell's
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“What we would expect is that the political system is well aware of it, it shouldn't take a personal visit to an Emergency Department to know that citizens shouldn't be subjected to this type of wait times, overcrowding that is unacceptable.
“It used not be the case, we've changed our trolley count to include the children's hospitals because it has become a real issue.
“Apart from wait times being difficult, the non availability of space for children when they're admitted, but in the adult system, it's becoming absolutely unbearable for staff and for people who are waiting.”
Ms O’Connell told the Oireachtas committee that after eight hours she had gone home with her child.
“That's the wrong message to send,” said Ms Ní Sheaghdha. If a patient has been referred by a family doctor then there is an agreement in place in emergency departments for them to be prioritised “because they are sick.”
She warned that if elective admissions are continued hospital staff are going to be faced with ‘Hobson’s choice’ having to prioritise patients coming out of an operation at a time when there are other patients on trolleys.
Overcrowding is so bad in some hospitals like the Mercy in Cork that it is impossible to get essential services through the trolleys at some times, she added.
“The fire officer intervened in Limerick last week because actually it's just too dangerous. They moved trolleys, they insisted on trolleys being moved.
“We're counting over 230 trolleys on wards every day now and the problem in Emergency Departments is getting worse. We simply don’t have capacity.”
Dr Ciara Martin, an emergency paediatrician with Children’s Health Ireland added that on a number of days recently the emergency departments of the three children’s hospitals in Dublin saw over 600 children per day.
“We're very aware that our emergency waiting rooms are overcrowded.”
Dr Martin explained that under the Triage system staff try to see a child within an hour to assess how urgent their case is. An hour is not acceptable, she said, “but we’re doing our best.
“Following that they see a doctor or are admitted.”
Dr Martin added that there is further pressure on hospital beds at this time of year as it takes longer for children to get better, this was why a decision was taken to cancel elective surgeries in order to increase bed capacity for sick children coming through the emergency department.
“All three children's hospitals are experiencing much higher numbers than usual, Temple Street would see 250 or more children a day, Crumlin and Tallaght would see 150-160 children a day, winter is our busiest time, with the flu, respiratory ailments and the winter vomiting bug we always see a spike in attendances.”
Dr Martin urged parents to go to the urgent care unit at Connolly Hospital for minor illnesses to try to lift the pressure on emergency departments.
