Tallaght hospital trying to silence doctors, group claims

Tallaght Hospital is attempting to “silence” doctors advocating on behalf of patients, the group representing emergency medicine consultants has claimed.

The Irish Association for Emergency Medicine says it views with serious concern the decision by the hospital to order an inquiry into the leaking of details about a 91-year-old who spent over 24 hours on a trolley.

The leaks were based on a memo written by Dr James Gray, an emergency medicine doctor at Tallaght and member of the association, to the hospital chief executive.

The association says Dr Gray should be commended for his actions. “Was the response of Tallaght Hospital to thank him and give reassurance that in future no patient would remain on a trolley for a prolonged period? No, it was to set up an ‘investigation’ to ascertain how the Issue entered the public domain!”

“In such circumstances, it is difficult not to see the hospital’s action as an attempt to silence those advocating on behalf of patients.”

The group also criticised Taoiseach Enda Kenny and other politicians for expressing surprise that a patient might be on a trolley for such an extended period of time. “By now they know, or should know, that patients of all ages suffer this fate on a daily basis; the unacceptable has become a ‘normal’ part of the hospital system.”

The 91-year-old patient who spent 29 hours on a trolley in Tallaght hospital this week was "caught in the crossfire" in a conflict between emergency department staff and management in the hospital, according to Minister for Health Leo Varadkar.

Mr Varadkar said he did not know the reasons for the conflict but it was long-standing. It was “indefensible” that any patient was forced to spend more than 24 hours in an emergency department, he added.

The Minister said he spoke yesterday to the patient in question to ascertain “what the facts were”.

The patient was “unhappy” that his personal details had made their way into the public domain and about the claims made about him.

“I’ve spoken to the patient myself because I wanted to find out what the facts were,” he said.

“The patient was unhappy that information was put in the public domain that made him identifiable, information about his illness, his wife, and how long he was married to his wife.

“I think the patient has to be at the centre of this. I’m a big supporter of patient advocacy and I will always defend a doctor or a nurse who advocates on behalf of patients – I think that’s part of their duty – but misrepresenting a patient experience or using their clinical information in the media without their consent is not patient advocacy. It’s something quite different.”

In terms of elderly patients being left on trolleys for more than 24 hours, Mr Varadkar said this was “not an isolated incident”.

“It is indefensible that anyone should spend more than 24 hours in an emergency department,” he said.

The HSE said it will receive a report in the coming days on the reasons why the man was left on a hospital trolley for such a long time, but added that the emergency department was obviously under pressure.