Cork TD calls for new A&E department at Cork hospital 

A Cork TD has spoken about waiting overnight with his elderly father in what he described as an emergency department housed in prefabs and portable buildings.

Speaking on Wednesday in the Dáil, Sinn Féin TD for Cork North Central, Thomas Gould, raised the need for a full emergency department (ED) in Cork’s Mercy University Hospital (MUH).

Mr Gould said he had spent “hours upon hours” overnight in February of this year in the MUH ED as his 81-year-old father Tony waited 14 hours to be seen.

“There is real fear among people about attending emergency departments because they are looking at spending nights on trolleys and long waiting times in overcrowded emergency departments,” Mr Gould said.

“In 2022, more than 12,000 people waited on trolleys in Cork University Hospital. As for the Mercy University Hospital, its emergency department is in prefabs and portable buildings and has been for the past couple of years.

“How can it be right that a hospital would have its accident and emergency unit in portable buildings?” he asked.

“I was in there in February with my own father, sitting on a plastic chair with cubicles between people.

“People knew me because I am the local deputy and they asked me how it was allowed to happen that people are sitting in there.

“How is it possible in this day and age? It is a complete failure by the Government and the Minister for Health, who has not tackled this issue.” Speaking with The Echo yesterday, Mr Gould said his father had spent a total of 14 hours waiting to be seen in conditions the northside TD described as “undignified”, “not respectful”, and “lacking privacy”.

“I have to say, the staff were brilliant, they were so good.

"They were under pressure, but they were so professional and decent and they were doing their best at all times,” Mr Gould said.

“I gave 10 hours with my dad overnight and then my sister came in in the morning with the change of clothes and a sandwich and a bottle of water for him, and she sat with him for another four hours and then they saw him,” he added.

Mr Gould said his father is now in very good health and the 81-year-old Knocknaheeny man is extremely thankful to all of the staff at MUH who had shown him great kindness and professionalism.

“My dad, Tony Gould, is flying now, and he is very grateful for the care he got from the staff at the time,” the Sinn Féin TD added.