Harney criticises Tallaght hospital over A&E

Minister for Health Mary Harney has criticised Tallaght hospital in Dublin for its handling of accident and emergency services.

In an answer to a written Dáil question, Ms Harney said the number of patients and the waiting times for patients awaiting admission at Tallaght was a matter of concern.

The Minister said she had met the chairman and chief executive of the hospital recently and "in the course of the meeting the need for improved performance in this area was discussed".

She said the Health Service Executive (HSE) was in discussions with the hospital on measures to improve the situation in the A&E department.

Highly placed health service sources said yesterday there had been a frank exchange between Ms Harney and the delegation from Tallaght hospital.

Sources maintained that the new accident and emergency task force that is to be established by the HSE would also "engage frankly" with hospitals where there were persistent difficulties with large numbers of patients on trolleys.

At her meeting with senior figures from Tallaght, Ms Harney expressed concern at the admission rate and discharge policy at the hospital.

She raised concerns that the number of private patients admitted for elective or non-urgent procedures reached more than 40 per cent last year. She maintained that this figure did not reflect the catchment population of the hospital.

The Minister was also concerned at difficulties experienced by the hospital in placing patients who were no longer considered to need acute medical care into more suitable accommodation.

In a statement last night, Tallaght hospital said that activity in its A&E unit had shown a steady improvement in recent weeks.

The hospital said that most patients admitted had come through the A&E department.

It said these patients were treated on the basis on their clinical needs and not their insurance status.

The hospital added that last night there were six patients on trolleys awaiting admission.

"In relation to our discharge planning, we are one of the most effective Dublin hospitals in discharge planning," it said.

"When nursing-home beds were made available by the HSE in November 2005 our discharge team was effectively able to utilise all the beds within one month.

"The hospital is in a position to utilise beds - once they are made available to us - and is working with the HSE in securing further nursing-home beds.

"We currently have 22 patients awaiting long-term care for whom we have as yet not been given beds by the HSE."