Hospital A&E Departments are dangerously overcrowded with recent INMO figures showing over 500 patients lying on trolleys where they are at risk of contracting the winter vomiting bug and other hospital acquired infections.

In the Fine Gael FairCare Policy, Dr James Reilly, TD, Fine Gael Spokesperson for Health and Children, outlines how he will radically reform hospital services which will see an end to A&E trolley waits.
  • Recent IMNO figures showed an unprecedented peak of 500 patients waiting on trolleys across the country.
  • Everyday, vulnerable patients are enduring horrific conditions on both trolleys and chairs for long hours before they are assessed or treated.
  • Mary Harney and the HSE have closed 900 beds and are planning to close a further 1,100 this year which will only make the A&E problem worse.
     
The Government has had over 12 years to solve the A&E crisis however, during this time nothing has improved; in fact the situation has gotten worse. In November 2004, Minister Harney launched her €70m A&E 10-point-plan to solve the A&E problem. By March 2006, the problem escalated to what Minister Harney described as a 'national emergency' with a new high of 495 people on trolleys. Now, the numbers of people on trolleys have reached unprecedented heights with over 500 patients recorded on trolleys in A&E this month.

Fine Gael's Solution:

Fine Gael’s FairCare Policy sets out the major reforms needed to fix the Irish health service. This policy is based on the Dutch healthcare system which is ranked number one in Europe for quality. In the Netherlands, an ambulance picks a patient up within 15 minutes of receiving the call, all patients are seen within 10 minutes of arrival at A&E and all patients are treated or discharged within an average of two and a half hours of arrival at a hospital.

Fine Gael wants to see Irish patients receive the same level of care and treatment in our hospitals. As an initial stage to ending A&E trolley waits, the Government must:
  • Urgently instruct the HSE to start contracting some of the 1,800 unoccupied nursing home beds to accommodate those people in acute hospital beds who need long stay care.
  • Tender for beds for places offering physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech & language therapy services so that people can continue their recovery and ultimately go home.
  • Order the opening of the 900 closed beds to accommodate the admission of patients on trolleys.
  • Reject the reported HSE plans to close an additional 1,100 beds in the coming year.
  • Instruct the HSE to put in place a crisis hygiene plan so that cleaning does not suffer due to overcrowding, which would increase the risk and spread of bugs.
     
In Government, through the implementation of FairCare, Fine Gael will slash hospital waiting lists. This will involve the following:
  • Direct Ministerial Responsibility - The Minister for Health and Children will take direct responsibility for reducing waiting lists/times.
  • Fine Gael will set non-negotiable targets for access - the Minister will give a detailed report to the Dáil every month, setting out progress made and indicating what specific actions will be taken if and when targets are missed.
  • Fine Gael will create a new Service Delivery Unit – The SDU will be made up of a small cadre of experienced managers, clinicians and health economists. Their role will be to ensure that targets are met and will act as a source of expertise for healthcare professionals and managers in identifying blockages in the system and advising on how they can be resolved.
     
Relevant Documents:  
FairCare
FairCare Website