Safe staffing levels in hospitals must be implemented before flu season
- Labour Think In discusses failure of Minister Donnelly to tackle health crisis
- Safe staffing must be implemented
- Real leadership needed to combat hospital overcrowding
Duncan Smith TD, Labour’s Health spokesperson, has condemned the significant hospital overcrowding figures with 366 patients admitted to hospital waiting for beds.
Speaking at the Labour Party Think In in Maynooth, Deputy Smith said for too long, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have played lipservice to tackling the health disaster, rather than taking action to change the system.
Deputy Smith said:
“This mornings figures are shocking but unfortuantely not surprising. As Fine Gael meet down in Limerick today, 72 patients are languishing on trolleys in University Hospital Limerick.
“Nationwide, patients are being forced to wait for hours on trolleys, and the impact on patients’ health can be devastating.
“We echo the concerns of the INMO and call on the Government to address the issue. This comes after the worst ever August for hospital overcrowding, with over 9,720 patients admitted to hospital without a bed.
“The impact of overcrowding on staff is also devastating. It is an incredibly stressful working environment. Burnout rates are high and staff turnover is huge. During our annual Think In, many representatives reported the concerns that people in their areas have about accessing hospital care. In a modern society, public services like health care should be fully operational.
“The Government has consistently failed to address the issue of hospital overcrowding. We need to see real action now.”