Sir, – The one thing we can ascertain from Tallaght Hospital, the HSE and the Taoiseach is that the buck stops nowhere. – Yours, etc,
CONOR COOKE,
Dublin 16.
Sir, – The negative response by Tallaght Hospital management of the disclosure that an elderly man was kept too long on a trolley is very disappointing ("Doctor refuses to be silenced on Tallaght Hospital trolley cases", November 5th). Surely the doctor, rather than hospital management, is employed by the hospital as the expert in patient management and was also best placed to know about the care of this particular patient. Therefore it surprises me that the hospital publicly contradicts its own expert.
However, regardless of the details of this particular incident, it is clear that there is a need for more hospital beds, nurses and doctors. All the Government and HSE reports, press statements, bluster, and denial will not hide that simple fact. – Yours, etc,
SEAN O’SULLIVAN,
Crossabeg,
Co Wexford.
Sir, – Approximately 80,000 patients on trolleys in emergency departments pending admission this year so far, many of whom wait in appalling conditions for several days. The impact of the austerity measures foisted upon the health service by this Government (and its predecessors) seems to be increasing despite the alleged economic recovery. Now, 80,000 trolley patients later, our Taoiseach ("Kenny criticises 'shocking' hospital treatment of man (91)", November 4th) wants to know who is responsible?
How dare he add insult to the suffering already endured by those 80,000. – Yours, etc,
Dr BRENDAN McCANN,
Consultant
in Emergency Medicine,
University Hospital
Waterford.
A chara, – Our ongoing emergency department crisis reflects the massive reduction of public hospital beds and long-stay nursing beds caused by repeated policies of closure of wards, regional hospitals and public nursing homes. Restoring the ratio of public beds per head of population should be part of the care and consideration shown by our country towards those in need. – Is mise,
Dr MARY O’DUFFY,
Castleblayney,
Co Monaghan.
Sir, – Recently an elderly patient with a complex advanced wound in a nursing home confronted local hospital admission as the only way to access transport to the vascular service in Galway for a scheduled procedure. When I tried to avoid hospital admission by explaining the circumstance, the transport section of the ambulance service told me they “have no resources for that kind of request”.
Far too many patients are admitted unnecessarily because GPs do not have access to investigations or rapid access clinics; for example, a woman who feels well but has a large pelvic mass or people who develop a transient ischaemic attack.
Health spending in Ireland fell at a faster rate between 2009 and 2013 than in most other countries. We are in the bottom third of countries for number of doctors and hospital beds, but far too high in the trolley count league.
The health services are under enormous strain, many healthcare providers continue to do their utmost, and a willingness to respond to dire need is usually present. But the mindset of prioritising hospital inpatients above all other demands must change if our expensive hospital-centric system is to adapt efficiently for future healthcare provision. Let us open our minds to alternatives to institutionalisation. – Yours, etc,
Dr KARENA HANLEY,
Ramelton, Co Donegal.