Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing me to raise this most serious situation in our country which is happening in front of our eyes and which is worsening by the day. I wish to pay tribute to the manager and front-line staff in Clonmel hospital and in the other Tipperary hospitals, St. Patrick's, St. Theresa's, St. Brigid's, Cluain Arainn and Tipperary, for their work. They are dealing under pressure with quite ill patients who are on trolleys in corridors. It is not acceptable in this day and age and the situation is getting worse instead of better. I had a call yesterday from a 98 year old who was on a trolley in Clonmel - or South Tipperary General Hospital, as they like to call it, but I know it as St. Joseph's in Clonmel. There were 19 patients on trolleys yesterday. South Tipperary General Hospital is an old hospital, albeit a very functioning and good hospital. However, it does not have the capacity, nor even the space in the corridors, to allow for any kind of treatment or examination of patients, because the physical width of the corridors is too narrow. The hospital had to employ a security man last week to move the accompanying families out of the corridor. These people were trying to stay with their family members to cover them and be with them while they were waiting to be seen. It is a disgraceful situation by any standards.

I welcome some people who are in the Gallery. I welcome the Dunne family who received an award from Uachtarán na hÉireann, Michael D. Higgins, for their 30 years of care work. I welcome Councillor Richie Molloy, who is manager of the carers. Only for all the work they do there would be many more people in hospital.

I remind the Minister of State that the reality is awful. The fair deal scheme is log-jammed with a 15-week delay. This is where that awful term "bed blockers" is used. It is an awful name. People who do not want to be in hospital and they have decided to go to a nursing home cannot get onto the fair deal scheme. This is costing the health service €4 million a week. Those people could stay in a nursing home for €1,000 a week while it costs €1,000 a day for a bed in a hospital. There is no logic and no joined-up thinking.

I refer to the HIQA report on patient safety which found in 2011 that of the total number of patients who attended the accident and emergency department in Tallaght hospital, 14% of those left without being treated. This is happening in every hospital and it is getting worse. People cannot bear it any longer because it is dangerous and unacceptable. If they have a family to look after them they leave and go to the GP.

I refer to what others have said, including Dr. Aidan Gleeson, head of the emergency department in Beaumont Hospital which is currently under siege from serious overcrowding. He said today that patients left on trolleys suffer increased risk of harm or death. He is an eminent doctor in Beaumont. Patients with heart attacks are being diagnosed late while patients with pneumonia and sepsis may not be getting the resuscitation and antibiotics quickly enough because they cannot get a doctor to examine them. Dr. Gleeson said that this is the reality in hospitals. Those are not my words. One would find better in the Third World. Who is going to take charge of this situation? It is outrageous.

There has been a national crisis in accident and emergency departments for years. I do not blame the Minister of State or the Minister, Deputy Varadkar. However, it must be dealt with and not by this so-called task force. As the Taoiseach told me last week, it is an expert panel. It is a case of all chiefs and no Indians. What we need is a manager like Grace Rothwell and other managers and front-line staff to be on that panel, not individual vested interests representing the consultants or the INMO - I agree they must be represented but at different forums. We need to take this out and look at it properly and to have a functioning and dedicated team of people who know what they are doing and above all, who will have the support of HSE senior management, so that they can deal with the crisis in accident and emergency departments. This task force is not fit for purpose because all the top guns are on it. They are pushing paper around, making decisions, looking for promotion, minding their own jobs and not looking after the health of the public who deserve it.

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