1,300 ED patients waited more than 24 hours for care in 2021
Over 1,300 Emegency Department patients at Midlands Regional Hospital Mullingar had to wait more than 24 hours to be treated last year.
According to newly released figures by the HSE, the number of ED patients that had to wait more than a day to be treated in Mullingar hospital rose significantly during the pandemic from 779 in 2019 to 1,248 in 2020 and 1,328 last year.
The figures, which were obtained from the HSE by Sinn Fein, show that problem is even worse this year with 456 patients waiting over 24 hours up to March 8.
Deputy Sorca Clarke says that new figures obtained by the party reveal that an alarming number of patients are waiting more than 24 hours for care at Mullingar hospital's Emergency Department.
Deputy Clarke added that much more must be done to ensure that patients at Mullingar hospital receive high quality and timely care without these delays.
"Sinn Féin has obtained new figures from the HSE that expose an alarming number of people have been left waiting for more than 24 hours to be seen at Mullingar Hospital Emergency Department. Behind every number is a patient who needed timely care and was left to wait for far too long.
“The pain and distress caused by these delays is considerable. People attend emergency departments because they require urgent care. This scandal is happening because of process and leadership failures across the health service.
"Let me be clear, the staff at Mullingar Hospital are doing an incredible job, working under constant pressure and doing their very best to serve our community. But they are being let down by a lack of funding, planning and leadership by the government.
“According to the data Sinn Féin has received from the HSE, Emergency Department overcrowding is set to be more severe this year as it was before the pandemic.
"We need an urgent zero tolerance plan for Emergency Department overcrowding and long waits led by the Minister for Health.”
While she says that there is “no single solution”, Deputy Clarke says that essential Sláintecare reforms need to be advanced quickly.
“To respond to the challenge, reducing Emergency Department waits has to be seen as part of wider reform efforts. It can only be tackled by investing in community and GP capacity to reduce hospital admissions. A minimalist approach to healthcare reform will not work.
"Regional Health Areas need to get up and running with significant autonomy to implement community reforms, deliver capacity expansions, recruit and retain staff, and implement best practice across sites in patient and staff management.
"Every patient should have a discharge plan with a recovery bed in a community setting. Patients should be out of hospital quickly, not left languishing on trolleys in random ward corners and corridors.
"A specific plan is needed for Mullingar Hospital. The Minister must lead from the front. Staff at our hospital are working day and night to look after our community, but they aren’t getting the support they need from government. Patients at Mullingar Hospital deserve better and I will continue to raise this with the government until the changes needed are delivered."