Hospital Trolley Crisis Set to Increase says Crowe

Dublin South West TD Seán Crowe has said that all indicators suggest that the trolley crisis in our hospital is set to increase. Crowe was speaking after it emerged that the trolley count was this week up by 20% on last year and said that the Minister for Health doesn’t fully grasp the crisis if he doesn’t see that the trolley crisis, the nursing recruitment and retention crisis are interlinked.

Deputy Seán Crowe said:

“The trolley crisis has been continuously escalating under Simon Harris’s tenure as Minister for Health. Last year saw the largest number of patients on trolleys in recorded history at a whopping 98,981.

“This year the crisis has continued on the same path upwards

“The most recent Trolley Watch figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Association show that this month has been the worst August on record for hospital overcrowding.

“Throughout August 7,911 patients spent time one night or more on a trolley. This week the trolley count was up by 20%

“Minister Harris has so far failed to deal with the issues that are causing this emergency. These are the issues of recruitment and retention of staff, capacity – failure to reopen closed beds, adequate step down facilities, and proper primary and community care.

“As with the ongoing housing crisis, the government think that their policies are working for the health service but, they are completely failing and that failure is impacting on citizens lives.

“Last January the Dáil passed a Private Members Business motion advocating solutions to resolve the trolley crisis, however, Fine Gael have failed to make any attempt to implement any aspect of it.”

“They have also failed to address the nursing recruitment and retention crisis which is a key component of the trolley crisis. An analysis of the trolley crisis shows that hospitals with unfilled nursing vacancies have also the highest numbers of patients on trolleys.

“If the Minister for Health cannot see that the trolley crisis and the nursing recruitment and retention crisis are interlinked then he doesn’t really have a clear understanding of the trolley crisis that is impacting so negatively on patients and staff in our hospitals.

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