Hospital overcrowding is now a grave threat to patients, says union

SERIOUS concerns have been raised over the scale of hospital overcrowding in Ireland with the Irish Medical Organisation (IMO) warning the Oireachtas Committee on Health that the scale of the issue “represents a persistent and grave danger to patients which cannot be ignored”.

Representatives from the IMO as well as the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), the Services Industrial Professional & Technical Union (SIPTU) and Fórsa appeared before the Joint Committee on Health yesterday to discuss the levels of overcrowding crisis in hospitals.

Representing the IMO, Dr Mick Molloy, Emergency Department (ED) Consultant and member of the IMO Consultant Committee told the Committee that record hospital waiting lists are the direct results of the failure by successive governments to invest in bed capacity, infrastructure and the medical workforce to meet the needs of a growing and ageing population.

Dr. Molloy said; “When the present Taoiseach was Minister for Health over 20 years ago the bed capacity need was identified at 5,000 more beds. 

"Since that time there has been little positive growth in capacity yet our population has grown by more than a million people and we are now at a point of frightening waiting lists, inability to deliver timely care and too few doctors in the system. This represents a real and grave threat to patients.” 

The IMO said it believes that without concerted and sustained investment across the health system the overcrowding problem will never be adequately addressed and patients will continue to be in “grave danger”.

The INMO also voiced serious concerns over the issue.

Yesterday, the Organisation’s General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said that the number of people on trolleys so far this year is up over 170% compared to last year.

“Staff and patients deserve better than the persistent and chronic overcrowding we are seeing in Irish hospitals on a daily basis.

“Government must take note of the voices from the frontline. They are sounding the alarm, and are pointing to clinical risk, omissions of care, inhumane environments for care provision, long uncomfortable waiting time to be seen and then a longer time to be admitted,” she said.

The meeting took place as figures from the INMO showed that on Wednesday morning, 32 admitted patients were waiting for beds at the emergency department at Cork University Hospital.

A spokesperson for the hospital said that the hospitals’ ED was exceptionally busy on Wednesday and over the last number of days due to a large number of very ill medical patients requiring admission “Patient care is paramount in CUH and this situation is being treated as a priority by Hospital Management who have taken steps to address this issue,” the spokesperson said.

“Hospital management have requested that, where appropriate, the public contact their GP/South Doc in the first instance and explore all other options available to them prior to attending the emergency department if their needs are not urgent.

“Hospital Management wishes to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of all staff during this very busy time,” the spokesperson added.

Elsewhere in Cork, 15 admitted patients were waiting for beds at the Mercy University Hospital on Wednesday morning.