Overcrowding on the rise at MUH as Deputy Lawless raises concerns over capacity
Speaking following a visit, Deputy Lawless said he wanted to see the situation first-hand and described conditions for patients as ‘horrendous’.
Overcrowding figures are on the rise again at Mayo University Hospital, where 18 admitted patients are currently without a bed.
Newly released figures show that three patients are currently waiting for a bed in the Emergency Department, while a further 15 admitted patients are waiting elsewhere in the hospital. Nationally, 462 admitted patients are waiting for beds across hospitals today.
The latest figures come after Aontú TD for Mayo Paul Lawless made a late-night visit to Mayo University Hospital following a report from a constituent who said they had been waiting for more than 24 hours in the Emergency Department.
Speaking following his visit, Deputy Lawless said he wanted to see the situation first-hand and described conditions for patients as ‘horrendous’, with some waiting on trolleys and chairs in cramped areas, including corridors and other spaces where trolleys can barely pass each other.
“When I received the phone call from my constituent, I decided that I wanted to go down to the hospital to see first-hand the situation that is unfolding,” he said.
“In many cases patients are waiting over 24 hours to be admitted. They're waiting in horrendous circumstances - on trolleys, in chairs, in a space that is cramped and limited with some being treated in trolleys in corridors, nooks, and crannies where trolleys can barely pass each other.”
Deputy Lawless said the level of pressure on the hospital was highlighted by the fact that approximately 300 people had presented to the Emergency Department over the previous 48 hours.
“The Safe Staffing Threshold is not being reached in MUH on a regular basis. The staff in the hospital are working incredibly hard, but we simply don't have enough of them,” he said.
He also raised concerns about the hospital’s physical capacity, pointing to increasing patient numbers in the Emergency Department and saying that the HSE had confirmed to him that more patients were seen in the department last year than ever before.
He further stated that greater investment was needed in Mayo University Hospital, particularly in staffing and capacity.
“In two years alone, the government spent €80 million in Mayo on migrant accommodation. €2 million of taxpayers’ money is going to be spent on a meeting room in Mayo County Council which will only be used about once a month. Yet we don't have adequate investment in Mayo's most important and vital piece of infrastructure - our hospital,” he said.
“I will be raising this when the Dáil resumes - we need safe staffing levels and additional capacity,” he concluded.