Ageing population and inadequate services leading to healthcare timebomb, report warns

An increasing ageing population will put added strain on the health service, the report has warned. File Picture: PA

Ireland is heading for a healthcare timebomb, with a new report saying the country has a rapidly ageing population at a time when services for the elderly are inadequate, under-resourced and in some cases, ill-suited.

The report Mental Health Services for Older People, was written by Dr Susan Finnerty, inspector of mental health services for the Mental Health Commission, and describes Covid-19 as a "perfect storm" in which elderly people already under-served by existing healthcare structures now face heightened risk from the disease.