Commenting on this morning\u2019s record figures from the National Treatment Purchase Fund showing 718,165 patients on hospital waiting lists, Social Democrats co-leader R\u00f3is\u00edn Shortall TD said the endless cycle of upwardly spiralling waiting lists is inexcusable.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe experience of daily suffering behind these waiting list numbers is appalling \u2013 the longer people wait for procedures, the more their health deteriorates, and the end result is extra cost to the health service when people have to resort to emergency medicine.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Commenting on this morning\u2019s record figures from the National Treatment Purchase Fund showing 718,165 patients on hospital waiting lists, Social Democrats co-leader R\u00f3is\u00edn Shortall TD said:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe experience of daily suffering behind these waiting list numbers is appalling \u2013 the longer people wait for procedures, the more their health deteriorates, and the end result is extra cost to the health service when people have to resort to emergency medicine.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe endless cycle of upwardly spiralling waiting lists is inexcusable for a government that is two and a half years in office. There is simply not enough urgency in getting to grips with the blockages and capacity needs within the health system.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe answers are staring the government in the face \u2013 fund homecare; make diagnostic facilities available at primary care level; ensure more efficient use of beds within hospital groups; consider designating some hospitals as elective only and provide the promised additional hospital beds. The immediate response must be to free up the 600 to 700 beds that are occupied at any one time by patients who are ready to be discharged. Urgent funding must be provided for home care packages and step-down facilities.\u201d<\/p>\n
Deputy Shortall pointed to the example of Scotland where the NHS bought a private hospital and made it operational for elective treatment only. She added:<\/p>\n
\u201cThis model has been so successful that the Scottish authorities are now building another elective-only hospital. Yet in the recent Sl\u00e1intecare Implementation Strategy the government says that it plans to only select locations for three new elective<\/span> hospitals and start the planning processes in 2021.<\/p>\n
\u201cFaced with such critical need, this sluggish response is indicative of a government that is floundering when it comes to the multiple crises in our health system.\u201d<\/p>\n
ENDS<\/p>\n
14 September 2018<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Commenting on this morning\u2019s record figures from the National Treatment Purchase Fund showing 718,165 patients on hospital waiting lists, Social Democrats co-leader R\u00f3is\u00edn Shortall TD said the endless cycle of upwardly spiralling waiting lists is inexcusable. \u201cThe experience of daily suffering behind these waiting list numbers is appalling \u2013 the longer people wait for procedures, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,7,264],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-615","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","category-press-release","category-roisin-shortall"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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