'Borderline elder abuse': FF's Stephen Donnelly slams trolley figures
More than 30,000 patients are waiting in emergency departments for over 24 hours, according to Fianna Fáil.
The figures come as emergency departments continue to experience record numbers of people on trolleys.
Fianna Fáil's Health Spokesperson, Stephen Donnelly, says that its borderline "elder abuse" as more than one-in-three of those waiting are over 75.
"While it’s not surprising that so many have endured such long waits it’s still appalling and unacceptable," said Deputy Donnelly.
To put it in perspective the number of people enduring 24-hour waits would fill the Mater Hospital fifty times over.
"To make a bad situation worse, more than one in three were aged over 75. This is a disgraceful situation and must be viewed as borderline elder abuse.
Mr Donnelly said that there needs to be more step-facilities and home care available to reduce the number of delayed discharges as well as extra hospital beds.
"172,377 bed days were lost during between January and October. If the trend continues for all of 2018, it will break 200,000.
"This is wasteful and inefficient and a horrendous situation for patients to be in.”
