Health Minister must take action to tackle overcrowding in Tallaght Hospital, says TD Ward

The Government should adopt a zero-tolerance approach to hospital overcrowding, according to Sinn Fein TD Mark Ward.

Deputy Ward was speaking after the publication of of the INMO’s Trolley Watch analysis for March.

The Dublin Mid-West TD said that the figures “show an alarming increase at Tallaght Hospital,” with 473 patients recorded to not having a bed in March.

This is the highest figure for the month since 2019.

Deputy Ward demanded that the Minister for Health “take charge” of the situation and fix the root causes of the problem.

“I am very concerned by the high number of people waiting on trolleys at Tallaght University Hospital.

“New figures show 473 people were without a bed this March at the hospital.

“This compares to 367 in 2019, which was already worryingly high and unacceptable.

“The government must take a zero-tolerance approach to hospital overcrowding to ensure that people in Dublin Mid-West can get the high quality and timely healthcare they need.

“The Minister must take charge of the situation, root out wasteful or poor management practices, and make sure that hospitals are able to adopt better patient management practices.

“This is not a new issue – patients have been suffering the torturous consequences of overcrowding for years.

“The root causes of emergency department dysfunction are poor patient flow, low hospital capacity, delayed discharges, poor out-of-hours GP coverage and a lack of alternatives in the community.”

Ward says that methods used in other hospitals to reduce overcrowding should be used in Tallaght.

“There is, without question, a need for more beds and more capacity in diagnostics and surgical theatres, but that is not all,” he says.

“There are efficiency reforms that have worked in some hospitals to reduce overcrowding and reduce delays in discharging patients, such as specialist medical wards.

“Above all else, we need to join up community and hospital healthcare.

“Too often, hospitals are left trying to discharge a patient, but there is no recovery bed available for them. Regional Health Areas will help to streamline this process.

“The long festering problems in primary care and general practice, which are a direct result of not training enough doctors and allied health professionals, need to be dealt with.

“Patients at Tallaght University Hospital deserve better and the government must do everything possible to address this crisis urgently.”