While the new 130-bed community nursing unit Killarney, currently nearing completion, is to be welcomed, it offers no additional bed capacity to cater for those who suffer with dementia and other patients who need a long-term bed, Kerry TD Pa Daly has highlighted,
He said there are also no new beds that would expedite the transfer of care and, despite repeated warning to the Government that this is where focus is urgently needed, yet again they have overlooked and ignored the many patients and their families in great distress because there simply aren’t enough beds to treat them.
Deputy Daly said the current district hospital in Killarney is providing excellent post-acute hospital care now and it should be kept rather than closed down when the new nursing unit opens.
He said the Government needs to change its approach to healthcare in Kerry or chronic bed shortages will continue and potentially even get worse over time.
“It is not the fault of the many hardworking doctors, nurses and administrative staff. Rather it is the decades of bad planning and mismanagement by successful Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael governments.
“The chronic shortages in bed capacity have been happening for years but the Government has done nothing to address them. Any actions taken have failed to get to the root of issue,” the Sinn Fein TD stated.
He added that he has repeatedly highlighted the dangers of bed shortages at University Hospital Kerry.
“Sick patients are left in hallways on trolleys – sometimes for days on ends – and others are waiting upwards of 16 hours before they are even seen at A&E. That is totally unacceptable,” Deputy Daly said.
He pointed out that every year for the last five years elective surgeries have been cancelled for months on end during winter and even into spring because there is simply no room for these patients.
“This year, no elective surgery has taken place between December 19th and now. Urgent action needs to be taken to prevent it from reoccurring,” Deputy Daly stated.
“The Government needs to bring forth solutions that will actually solve this problem. First, they need to increase bed capacity now, open primary care centre in Tralee and Killarney and establish a minor injuries clinic in a place easily accessed by the patients who need it.
“It is important that Kerry’s voice is heard in the Cork based Mothership of the HSE,” he stressed.
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