Minister claims some A&Es have more staff than patients

A NUMBER of Dublin hospitals have more staff than patients in A&E departments, Minister for Health Mary Harney claimed as the Opposition challenged plans to rationalise those services in 11 Dublin and three Cork hospitals.

The Minister also told the Dáil that the three Dublin children's hospitals had 20 patients a night between them on average in their A&E units.

Labour health spokeswoman Jan O'Sullivan said A&E services were due to close at various times in Dublin, Cork and other parts of the country, yet on Monday there were 339 patients on hospital trolleys and "even more today".

"How can you provide A&E services when the problem has reached that level already," she asked, and called for the Minister to guarantee that frontline services would be maintained.

Fine Gael health spokesman Dr James Reilly believed there would be just four A&E departments left from the eight general Dublin hospitals, and he described as "extraordinary" the Minister's statement that the three children's hospitals had 20 A&E patients between 8pm and 8am.

"I find that very difficult to believe," he said, calling for an input in the review from the people working in AE departments.

He added that "cutting down on accident and emergency departments seems to be the most cynical move yet to reduce the numbers on trolleys. There won't be room for the trolleys in the four A&E departments that are left."

Ms Harney said the review of the hospitals operating 24-hour A&E units "will consider whether it is necessary to maintain full emergency department services in each hospital beyond the peak hours of operation and whether that represents the best use of resources.

She said the HSE would also continue the work which is under way in reviewing the configuration of hospital services, including emergency department services in the northeast, midwest and southern regions.

Ms O'Sullivan said it was extraordinary that the HSE plan to rationalise A&E services "is not properly and publicly announced by the HSE or the Minister, and that it is sneaked in on the list without any information to the public".

"It seems to me that is much of the problem with the health service currently," Ms O'Sullivan added.