'Pure chaos': Patients praise staff as Cork University Hospital asks people not to attend ED due to overcrowding

As HSE South West circulated a message yesterday cautioning that the Emergency Department (ED) at Cork University Hospital (CUH) was “currently experiencing very high levels of activity” and asking people not to attend if possible, a Cork TD questioned how this could occur in the middle of summer.

The HSE explained patients are prioritised in terms of need, meaning “those with non-urgent presentations will be waiting a long time and are advised to seek alternative treatments”. 

The message seemed to make an impact, according to members of the public who spoke to The Echo. All those who spoke said they received excellent care despite the long waits, with some who had also attended over the weekend noting an improvement.

One older woman said she had been in the ED on Saturday and again yesterday: “It’s a very long day. I was here both days and I was here from 8am till maybe 5pm or 6pm, and I have to say, the standard of care I got was second to none. The staff in here are fantastic... but it’s not fair on the people waiting and it’s not fair on the staff either.”

A middle-aged man said he had been in and out of the CUH ED over the past four days as his mother was receiving cancer treatment: “It was chaos all weekend, pure chaos, people everywhere, and the staff were under some amount of pressure but fair play, they were really good, and you can see now today things are way quieter.

“Whatever happened over the weekend, there seemed to be an unmerciful surge altogether, but it’s way better today.”

There were 63 people on trolleys in CUH yesterday, and 814 people have been treated on trolleys in CUH in July so far, more than double the 405 in June.

Bank holiday weekends historically result in high levels of overcrowding. The minister for health implemented measures after a spike in trolley numbers after the St Brigid’s Day bank holiday, which led to a sharp reduction after the June bank holiday, with just 19 in CUH. However, the figures increased again this weekend, with CUH CEO, Jennifer Kearney, saying: “We are currently experiencing a surge in activity at CUH’s emergency department, and it’s vital we reserve our resources for patients with the most critical needs.

“I urge everyone to pause and consider: ‘Is the ED the right place for my care?’ There are excellent alternatives available — including local GPs, pharmacies, SouthDoc, and injury units.”

Cork Social Democrats TD and chair of the Oireachtas health committee Pádraig Rice told The Echo: “Something is seriously wrong when the public are being advised against attending the CUH’s emergency department in the height of summer.

“The trolley crisis used to be a winter event but has now become a year-round problem. This cycle of consistent overcrowding in CUH must finally be broken not with a sticking plaster approach, but with real solutions — namely, the full implementation of Sláintecare reforms.”

Mr Rice added that there were as many as 23 people in CUH ready to be discharged but unable to be, largely because of a lack of nursing home beds.

“In the short term, freeing up these beds must be the priority”, he said, calling for increased home care hours and access to step-down services.