Cllr. Charlie O’Connor quizzed the Chief Executive of the Dublin Midland Hospital Group earlier this month regarding the pressure on the Emergency Department at Tallaght University Hospital and what efforts are being taken to alleviate it. Tallaght Central Cllr. said, “As a member of the HSE Regional Health Forum for Dublin Mid-Leinster I continue to use my position to highlight inefficiencies and push for action on the vital projects that have been earmarked for Tallaght University Hospital but are yet to be progressed. “A new renal unit, an increase in bed capacity and an extension to the intensive care unit are among the key developments that have been previously committed to and that would relieve the immense pressure experienced by both staff and sick patients. The public and especially residents in the locality are frustrated and tired of the repeated pledges.
“The hospital continues to experience challenges – the demand for beds exceeds the hospital’s capacity. I am told that *‘discussions are ongoing with the HSE to develop a new 72 single bed facility at the hospital to address capacity requirements’,* but we have been told that before and no action has followed. Patients that are medically fit to be discharged but who have nowhere suitable to be discharged to because of the severe shortage of home help supports are inevitably contributing to the high numbers of people waiting for elective procedures. “If this Government were serious at all about shortening the waiting lists that would immediately allocate greater resources to providing home care packages to free up much needed hospital beds. The reality is that they prefer to ignore those most vulnerable,” concluded Cllr O’Connor.
