Sir, – Of course hospital A & E staff will not ignore anyone who presents (Magazine, September 21st). All are equal. And we need to have equal but separate facilities for dealing with patients who drink themselves to the point of needing medical intervention. We don’t need extra staff; just a triage system that does not permit an old woman to wait more than 10 hours while drunk after drunk gets expert attention from our emergency staff.
It’s simple. Stream the drunks to their very own equal but separate corner, or room, in A & E. Monitor them to make sure they’re not in immediate danger. Treat every single sober, waiting patient. Then treat those who have deliberately drunk themselves into belligerence or incoherence. No extra expense. No extra staff. Security personnel could pay special attention on their walk through A & E.
An added upside is that, if they have to wait 10 hours, they may very well have slept off the effects of their binge and just stagger home.– Yours, etc,
PATRICIA R MOYNIHAN,
Castelgrange Park,
Castaheany,
Co Dublin.