James Lawless raised the chronic overcrowding of Naas Hospital with the Minister for Health in the Dáil yesterday
Naas General Hospital is the most overcrowded hospital in the Eastern region, which is shocking when you consider Dublin hospitals are also in this region.
James said, “A new endoscopy unit is badly needed as procedures are currently carried out in a prefab that is cold and lacks privacy and the Lakeview psychiatric unit also needs significant investment. An upgrade of the hospital has been in the pipeline for some time now and I have asked the Minister to ensure delivery.”
You can watch the video <a href=”https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2138985612868192″>here</a>
Frank O’Rourke TD spoke in the Dáil earlier this week on the Fianna Fáil motion on hospital overcrowding and how it affects elderly people.
“Our hospitals are at crisis point. Naas Hospital had 851 people, aged 75 or over, waiting on trolleys or chairs in the Emergency Department, since the start of the year. Delayed discharges are another problem. Proper step down facilities and Home Care supports could resolve this and I call on the Minister to provide extra resources, for both the Housing Adaptation Grant and the Home Care Package, to allow elderly people be cared for safely, and to live independently, in their own homes.”
Frank O’Rourke TD has reacted angrily to the news that 690 patients Over 75 enduring 24-hour waits in the Accident & Emergency Department of Naas General Hospital
Over 10,000 waited longer than 24 hours in an Emergency Department across the country so far in 2019
Frank O’Rourke TD has said that the statistics are unacceptable and that waiting a full day in an emergency department is gruelling for a person in the full of their health let alone an elderly person who is experiencing ill-health.
Naas Hospital
Frank explained, “Across the country more than 10,000 over 75’s have been forced to wait over 24 hours before being admitted or discharged from an emergency department so far in 2019. In Naas General Hospital alone this figure stands noticeably high at 690.”
“As we approach the winter months it’s inevitable that this number will only continue to rise. A lack of basic bed capacity is a fundamental problem in health care in Ireland and if the Minister can’t get to grips with even the basic problems, three years into his tenure, then we are going to see thousands more over 75’s languish in A&E’s across the country.”
“Stories of elderly patients being left lying in pain in emergency departments with no privacy are becoming all too frequent. The HSE’s own target of admitting or releasing all patients over the age of 75 within 24-hours is being breached literally thousands of times.”
“This is causing hardship to the patients, their families and to the nurses and doctors who are trying their best to cope with overflowing A&E’s. It’s totally unfair”
Frank O’Rourke TD says the Government needs to focus on making additional home care packages available to older people in order to resolve the hospital overcrowding crisis.
Deputy O’Rourke made the comments after receiving new information which shows that 589 people over the age of 75 were stuck on trolleys in Naas General Hospital in 2017.
Deputy O’Rourke said, “One of the key problems in hospitals right across the country is the lack of home care supports to help older people to return to their own homes. Many older people are stuck in hospital wards and are unable to return home after receiving the all-clear from their consultants due to the delays in sanctioning home care packages. This is a serious problem which is exacerbating the overcrowding crisis in our hospitals.”Continue reading “Better Homecare needed to tackle Hospital Overcrowding – O’Rourke”
At a time of major overcrowding crisis in our Emergency Departments, there are hundreds of hospital beds closed in the health service
James said, “In Naas General Hospital there are staff shortages reducing the capacity of inpatient hospital beds. 172 beds were lost to the health system for a variety of reasons. Worryingly 33% of the bed closures were as a direct result of staff shortages. In our own hospital in Naas there are currently two beds down due to staff shortages.”
“Despite a lot of hot air from successive Fine Gael Health Ministers, little or no progress has been made in stemming the flow of nursing and medical graduates out of the Irish health system, and even less progress made on attracting those professionals who emigrated from Ireland.”Continue reading “LAWLESS SLAMS CLOSED HOSPITAL BEDS”
