HSE will take steps over emergency department waiting times, says Harney

WAITING TIMES for patients attending emergency departments in many hospitals earlier this month were unacceptable, Minister of Health Mary Harney told the Dáil.

She said she had discussed plans with the HSE for ensuring that this situation did not recur.

“The HSE has assured me that it will take all possible steps to improve waiting times in emergency departments, so that all patients are assessed, treated and discharged or admitted without unnecessary delay,” she added.

Labour health spokeswoman Jan O’Sullivan asked how long it would take to solve the problem. “The Minister stated this was a national emergency in 2006,” she added.

Disputing the assertion that matters were getting better, Ms O’Sullivan said there were over 550 patients on trolleys one day last week, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), while there were 442 yesterday, she said.

Patients “are squashed into tiny little spaces in most unsafe conditions”, Ms O’Sullivan added.

Ms Harney said the figures were not correct. “The highest figure at 8am last week was 414,” she said. “It suits people to quote an INMO figure one day when it is less favourable and on other occasions to quote a different figure.”

Ms O’Sullivan said she always quoted the INMO figure.

The Minister said that more beds would not be opened. “We have opened over 400 beds that were closed over the Christmas period for seasonal reasons, which is normal and has been normal for umpteen years.”

She insisted that there had been significant improvements in the system, although there had been occasions when there were blips. Swine flu, she said, had led to over 300 people being in hospital over the recent period.

Fine Gael spokesman James Reilly asked why it was not possible to open more beds. A total of €1.1 billion in overtime and allowances, paid out annually, could be used to open beds temporarily .

Dr Reilly said that most of the 464 or so patients admitted to hospital daily this year were sitting on plastic chairs with IV drips hanging out of them, in distress, with no privacy and exposed to cross-infection. “In Beaumont alone, there are only 12 trolleys and yet there were 47 people at one stage waiting for admission,” he said. “There are four Buxton chairs, which leaves 31 patients waiting in admission on plastic chairs.” The Minister, he said, had been an utter failure.

“She stands before us today and tells us there have been significant improvements,” said Dr Reilly. “Tell that to those who get cross-infection and to those with cystic fibrosis who risk needless additional anxiety.”

“Deputy Reilly,” replied Ms Harney, “is a doctor and he should think carefully about the kind of things he says, both here and outside here, because a number of his colleagues have spoken to me about the scaremongering in which he engages.”

Ms Harney said all of the research on emergency departments, both in Ireland and elsewhere, showed that quick access to diagnostics and key clinical decision-makers was the most important ingredient in ensuring speedy access.

“The reforms that we have been putting in place are leading to significant improvements and most of those reforms have been opposed by Deputy Reilly because every vested interest is represented by him, as health spokesperson for his party,” the Minister said.