Almost half of elderly A&E patients not treated within nine-hour timeframe

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) said that 101,000 patients were treated on a trolley, chair, or in another inappropriate space in hospitals in the first 10 months of the year. File Picture.

Almost half of all elderly patients are not being treated within the HSE's own targeted timeframes for emergency departments. 

New data on emergency departments shows that just 53% of patients aged over 75 years were either admitted to hospital or discharged within the targeted nine-hour timeframe. 

Despite efforts to reduce delays in treating elderly people, little has changed over the last year, with a marginal improvement of 0.8% of people getting seen within the HSE's targets.

The situation has been slowly worsening in recent weeks as winter pressures begin to build, with an increasing number of flu patients.

Negative impacts on older people

Several large-scale studies, including in the UK and France, have highlighted negative impacts on older people of spending time waiting in hospital emergency departments. 

The noise, lights, and lack of sleep all add to health pressures and can lead to worse outcomes or contribute to a greater likelihood of unnecessary deaths.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has revealed that 101,000 patients were treated on a trolley, chair, or in another inappropriate space in hospitals in the first 10 months of the year.

While this is a 5% reduction on the same time last year, some hospitals are still struggling with high trolley numbers.

The INMO has called for urgent action on staffing, saying that more than 1,500 nursing and midwifery posts are currently vacant.

Tipperary University Hospital in Clonmel saw a 23% increase in trolley numbers, while at University Hospital Limerick there was a 1% rise. However, Cork University Hospital saw a drop of 31%, and the Mercy University Hospital had a drop of 19% in that time.

'Very busy winter'

General secretary of the INMO, Phil Ni Sheaghdha, said: “All signs point to the fact that we are going to have a very busy winter."

The HSE said that so far this winter, the highest number of flu infections are among people aged over 65, and this cohort has been urged to get vaccinated. 

Dr Éamonn O’Moore said while the flu can be mild, it can be “very serious for older adults, young children, and people with underlying health conditions”.