Lack of frontline resources causing a growing crisis in acute hospitals according to the IHCA

Thursday 26th February 2015: The Irish Hospitals Consultants Association (IHCA) has today said that the failure to address the crisis in acute hospital frontline resources has led to an unacceptable situation with waiting lists now spiralling out of control.  This lack of funding for the frontline services has resulted in surgery and other procedures being cancelled throughout the country.

The President of the IHCA, Dr Gerard Crotty, said that “the capacity and integrity of acute hospitals is being compromised due to this inordinate failure to urgently address the frontline resource crisis. We urgently need more resources to reduce the overcrowding and increasing waiting lists.” The IHCA has written to the HSE and the ED Task Force outlining the pressing need for the HSE to open additional beds, appoint additional consultants and other staff and provide other essential frontline resources.

Dr Crotty added:  “An unacceptable number of patients have had essential surgery and other procedures cancelled due to the shortage of beds and frontline resource cuts. In the last year to end of January 2015 there has been a 35% increase (47,112 to 63,740) in the number of patients awaiting essential inpatient and day-case treatments. The number of patients awaiting outpatient appointments has increased from 309,496 to 395,720 (+28%). Acute hospitals need increased funding but in reality this year’s budget is €35m less than last year’s actual spend and fails to address the continuing underfunding problems. The effect of demographic factors also adds an estimated 3% to demand on an annual basis, so as a result of these two factors alone the acute hospital system is underfunded this year by €155 million. The acute hospital system is 3.7% below the funding needed to stand still compared with last year.”

ENDS

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James Dunny, FleishmanHillard, +353 16188417/+353 863883903 james.dunny@fleishmaneurope.com

Fiona Murphy, FleishmanHillard, +353 16188470/+353 878194464 fiona.murphy@fleishmaneurope.com