Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

A number of years ago, harsh winters put increased pressure on accident and emergency departments across the country. The seasonal pressures on accident and emergency departments that were evident some years ago are now a crisis that manifests itself all year round. Why do patients, some of whom are very elderly, have to wait for unreasonable and extremely long times in accident and emergency departments? Why do they have to spend so much time lying on trolleys or sitting in chairs placed around accident and emergency departments? Among the many factors that have given rise to the continuous trolley crisis and the crisis in our accident and emergency departments are capacity issues and the constant brain drain of doctors, nurses and other highly trained medical staff. The lack of consultants and the subsequent cancellation of operations has added to this chaos. It is a scandal that we are exporting our doctors to other countries where conditions and pay are better.

Poor political decisions are important factors in the creation of this crisis. The lack of political will to resolve the growing scandals in our hospitals on the part of this Government and its predecessors has allowed the trolley crisis and the crisis in our accident and emergency departments to grow to the point where they are seemingly out of control. Our health system is poorly organised. When funds and resources are not put to good use, it leads to a reliance on acute public hospitals. This places an additional burden on the shoulders of hospital staff, who are over-stretched, hard-working and dedicated. Poor decision-making has led to a lack of primary health care centres. The development and resourcing of community care would help to alleviate the crisis in our emergency departments. All of this is giving rise to a systematic failure in our health service provision. It is an indication of a health system that is not fit for purpose and is unable to cope with the health requirements of the population. The INMO recently recorded the highest-ever number of patients on trolleys. Apart from the hardship of having to lie on a trolley for hours on end, such excessive delays in accident and emergency departments give rise to additional risks to patients, especially those who are elderly or vulnerable. Political will, leadership and proper resourcing are required to end the crisis in our accident and emergency departments and on our hospital trolleys.

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