Réada Cronin (Kildare North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Naas general hospital is in my constituency in Kildare North. In a reply to a recent parliamentary question on waiting times across the State tabled by an Teachta Cullinane, I was horrified to find that waiting times in the emergency department in Naas were among the top three worst times for people over 75 years and the top five worst for patients generally. Last December, general patients were waiting 21.5 hours for admission to Naas general hospital. For those over 75 years, they went from waiting 21 hours in 2019 to an absolutely disgraceful 30.5 hours last December. We know people waiting longer have poorer outcomes. I was so worried about why those aged over 75 years were waiting so long that I wrote to the Department. I got a load of gobbledygook back from the HSE about testing and processes involved in the care of those over 75 years. Families who have contacted me in Kildare North are telling me they are afraid their parents are just left there while exhausted and overworked staff are tripping around them. This is no reflection on the fantastic staff we have in Naas general hospital, many of whom I know or have met. I want to pay tribute to them here because they feel so overworked and so undervalued by the Government.

Delays in care in our hospitals comes down to safe staffing levels. Staff in our hospitals do not feel valued. They have told me that they do not feel valued in Naas general hospital either. I want them to know that Sinn Féin will value them. We have a multi-annual plan to tackle staffing levels in our hospitals. We intend to treat our non-consultant hospital doctors so much better so that they will stay in Ireland.

According to the British Medical Journal, 62 out of 77 medical graduates in the UCC class of 2021 left for Australia. It is no wonder when they are treated so badly here with the constant problems around rostering, getting paid and being made to work awful hours. This Government has to let them know in word and in deed that we do not want to lose them. Not only can we not afford to lose them but we need to keep more. The Minister has said that we need to double student training capacity in healthcare but my comrade, an Teachta Conway-Walsh, constantly brings this up with the Minister, Deputy Harris. He says that he cannot provide more places at third level because we do not have the clinical placements. It goes to the disconnect in the Government. It is not working together. I could speak on this all day but I am out of time.

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