Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

We have crisis and chaos in some of our hospitals and across our health service. We have staff who are under severe pressure doing their utmost to keep the show on the road. Patients are on trolleys. There are record cancellations of appointments and the ensuing increasing waiting lists.

All these issues affect people with real lives and families who are watching their suffering. I will relate some of their real-life stories.

A 73-year-old woman who has been having problems with a suspected prolapsed womb for approximately five years had an appointment approximately three years ago with a specialist at Louth County Hospital but heard nothing back. Her next appointment at the hospital was on 20 January this year. She had blood taken and other tests and was advised that she is on the list for surgery at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital. She told me the surgery was supposed to happen in the next 12 months. She is in terrible pain, however, particularly when she passes water, and cannot walk properly. Following a query from my office, she received notification that she would be advised of an appointment in quarter 4 or at the end of 2023.

A 66-year-old woman in north Louth has been waiting a number of months to see an orthopaedic surgeon at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital following damage to her right shoulder, including bone damage and five tears. Her GP referred her to Louth County Hospital and she received an X-ray and an MRI scan. She was given painkillers and referred into the very good physiotherapy service at the hospital but the physiotherapist there is reluctant to continue to work on her because he is concerned about doing more harm than good. Her activities of daily living are severely affected. She is no longer able to shower, do her hair or dress herself and she is in significant pain. She is in urgent need of an appointment with an orthopaedic surgeon. Following a query from my office, she has been advised she will get an appointment date in August.

A gentleman from Dundalk who is at the end of life has dementia and has had a stoma bag fitted. His wish and that of his family is for him to return home. Although he has been offered a care package in the community, it does not include the provision of staff to change the stoma bag. His daughter has been told she might be able to learn how to do it in order to get him home. The family is under pressure from the step-down facility in which he currently resides, as well as from community care in CHO 8, to take him home without the stoma care. Rightly, the family is not willing to do that. They are being told there is no one available to provide that care but all present are aware there are healthcare assistants in the private sector who could do it. We are still awaiting an answer from CHO 8. I contacted the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, today on this issue. We need action on it.

We are dealing with people who just want the pain to stop. They want to be with their families. In some cases, they are at the end of their lives. The system is broken and the people are broken waiting for it to be fixed. This is not good enough. The people are owed better.

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