Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Older People and TD for Waterford Mary Butler has described as disgraceful, the latest figures from the HSE which reveal 419 older people waited more than 24 hours in the Emergency Department of University Hospital Waterford in the first three months of the year.
That’s more than any other hospital in the South/South West Hospital Group.
Deputy Butler said “These figures are truly shocking and point to severe dysfunction in our health service, and particularly within our Emergency Departments. It is deeply distressing for anyone to have to wait in an ED for more than 24 hours, but for an elderly person to have to do so is nothing short of cruel.
“To expect someone over the age of 75 to sit in an uncomfortable chair or on a trolley under harsh lighting in an Emergency Department for over a day is bordering on a breach of their human rights. It is very upsetting, not only for the person themselves, but also for the family member or loved one who’s with them.
“Bed capacity has been a problem in our health service for some time, but these figures indicate a worrying deterioration of the situation. The fact that UHW has the highest number of over 75s waiting more than 24 hours in an ED is very worrying and serious efforts are needed to rectify the issue.
“Unless the Minister for Health gets to grips with the capacity problems, thousands more over 75’s will continue to languish in EDs across the country”, she concluded.
