The Irish Hospital Consultants' Association is warning of a thousand patients on trolleys every day if the current overcrowding crisis isn't addressed.
It says the government has repeatedly failed to fulfil its commitments.
The HSE's current winter plan committed to recruiting 51 additional emergency medicine consultants, but so far, only 20 are in place.
We are in the midst of another public hospital crisis. Our services continue to bear the brunt of growing pressures due to Gov failure to open beds & recruit Consultants needed.Treating patients on trolleys & demanding burned out staff work longer hours is not a credible solution pic.twitter.com/HznEogQXiY
— IHCA (@IHCA_IE) January 4, 2023
Yesterday, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation said 838 people were waiting for treatment on trolleys or chairs in hospital emergency departments, down from a record-high of 931 on Tuesday.
Independent TD Marian Harkin is calling for the Dail to be recalled and for Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, to answer questions on what additional supports are being provided to hospitals.
Meanwhile, the Irish Patients' Association says better accountability is needed to deal with overcrowding. The association's Co-founder, Stephen McMahon, says the Emergency Department Taskforce should be meeting more regularly after only meeting twice in 2022.
