Posted by Robert Troy TD.
An average of 73 bed days were lost at Mullingar Hospital every week since the start of the year.
Local Fianna Fáil TD Robert Troy has said the problems being experienced by the Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar are being replicated across the midlands. Mullingar Hospital lost 1,393 bed days between January 1st and May 14th this year.
Deputy Troy said: “In the first four and a half months of the year 93,698 bed days were lost at hospitals across the country. Over 3,700 (4%) of these were the result of delayed discharges at hospitals in the midlands.
“The public hospital system is creaking and the Government’s strategy of cutting home care packages and closure 1,000 public nursing home beds nationwide this year are having a direct impact on patient care.
“Frontline services in Mullingar Hospital which serves are huge area across the midlands are not being protected by this Government and there is genuine public concern that this situation is only going to get worse.
“I have been raising the difficulties in Mullingar consistently with the Government. The Special Delivery Unit has been forced with engage with management at the hospital which is under enormous pressure because it is covering Longford, Westmeath, Roscommon and Meath – a wider area than previously as a direct result of the closure of Roscommon A&E. The hospital has been given more responsibility, is seeing more patients and has had its funding cut.
“Community nursing home beds and home care packages are essential to ensuring that people who don’t need to be in Mullingar Hospital any more can move to community or home settings when their hospital care is complete. The cuts to these areas hit the most vulnerable in society and it is an issue Health Minister James Reilly must address as a matter of urgency.
“Given that Minister Reilly has acknowledged that the HSE was overspending to the tune of €145m to the end March I fear that the impact on frontline services for the rest of the year is bound to be severe unless action is taken to protect them.”
Local Fianna Fáil TD Robert Troy has said the problems being experienced by the Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar are being replicated across the midlands. Mullingar Hospital lost 1,393 bed days between January 1st and May 14th this year.
Deputy Troy said: “In the first four and a half months of the year 93,698 bed days were lost at hospitals across the country. Over 3,700 (4%) of these were the result of delayed discharges at hospitals in the midlands.
| Midland Regional Hospital, Tullamore | 1,589 |
| Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar | 1,393 |
| Midland Regional Hospital, Portlaoise | 779 |
| Total | 3,761 |
“The public hospital system is creaking and the Government’s strategy of cutting home care packages and closure 1,000 public nursing home beds nationwide this year are having a direct impact on patient care.
“Frontline services in Mullingar Hospital which serves are huge area across the midlands are not being protected by this Government and there is genuine public concern that this situation is only going to get worse.
“I have been raising the difficulties in Mullingar consistently with the Government. The Special Delivery Unit has been forced with engage with management at the hospital which is under enormous pressure because it is covering Longford, Westmeath, Roscommon and Meath – a wider area than previously as a direct result of the closure of Roscommon A&E. The hospital has been given more responsibility, is seeing more patients and has had its funding cut.
“Community nursing home beds and home care packages are essential to ensuring that people who don’t need to be in Mullingar Hospital any more can move to community or home settings when their hospital care is complete. The cuts to these areas hit the most vulnerable in society and it is an issue Health Minister James Reilly must address as a matter of urgency.
“Given that Minister Reilly has acknowledged that the HSE was overspending to the tune of €145m to the end March I fear that the impact on frontline services for the rest of the year is bound to be severe unless action is taken to protect them.”
No comments:
Post a Comment