INSIDE
Thursday, January 5, 2017
Serving Cork for 120 years One thousand students tread the boards in Montfort panto SEE KIDZZONE
Edition No: 36410
RRP: €1.50
Mercy: Every bed is full We need more beds and staff
Special needs target missed
A CONSULTANT in the Mercy University Hospital has said they have exhausted all escalation measures and desperately need more resources to tackle the ongoing overcrowding crisis.
ONLY 1% of children with possible special needs in the Cork South Lee area received assessments within the prescribed statutory time period last year, writes Audrey Ellard Walsh. In the 12 months leading up to November 30, 2016, 509 applications for Assessment of Need were received but just five were completed in the required timeframe. ■ See Page 3 for more.
Parking nets CUH €5.5m MORE than €5.5m in parking fees has been collected at the Cork University Hospital campus in the past two years, writes Ann Murphy. Figures provided to the Evening Echo u n d e r t h e F re e d o m o f I n formation Act show €2.9m was taken in in parking fees in 2015, and €2.6m between January and October 2016. ■ See Page 2 for more.
WEATHER TONIGHT L: 8º
Mostly cloudy
9 770332 478143 01
05.01.2017 Recommended retail price € 1.50
Dr. Adrian Murphy, Consultant in Emergency Medicine at Mercy University Hospital, says the hospital is in desperate need of more resources. Picture: Jim Coughlan
Speaking as more than 600 patients lay on trolleys nationally — 30 of whom were in the Mercy Hospital — Dr Adrian Murphy, a consultant in Emergency Medicine, revealed that the hospital has seen a huge surge in attendances with flu-like illness, which has “exacerbated the ongoing chronic overcrowding situation.” He said: “Clearly this is very upsetting for patients and their families and it’s very tiring and exhausting for staff. It’s a very challenging situation for all concerned.” In addition to ongoing overcrowding, the hospital saw a 40% increase in attendances by frail, elderly patients with flu-like symptoms requiring hospital admission in December. While the MUH has responded to the current situation “in an unprecedented way”, Dr Murphy says that it
■ Audrey Ellard Walsh has exhausted all escalation processes and procedures at this point. “Every bed in this hospital is currently occupied. “There are no delayed discharges, but what is most worrying for front line staff is we have just seen a period over the holiday season where there has been very little or no elective activity taking place and yet there is no spare capacity. “This is the time of year when we would expect to have the most bed capacity in the system but clearly we don’t. “There are more than 600 patients on hospital trolleys in this country; clearly we need more beds and more staff.” Dr Murphy urged people to see their GP or South Doc before attending emergency departments. ■ Continued on Page 2.