Waiting times at ED discussion must go beyond hospital – Cllr Brogan

Over 35-thousand people waited over 24 hours in emergency departments in the first seven months of this year.

It includes nearly 12-thousand people over the age of 75, according to freedom of information figures.

The number of patients on trolleys in Letterkenny University Hospital’s Emergency Department increased almost 45% last month.

Figures show there were 136 people without a bed at the hospital during August. During the same period last year, ther figure was 61.

The average waiting time in an ED, before admission or discharge, was over seven hours for all age-groups.

The issue had been raised at a meeting of the HSE’s Regional Health Forum West by Cllr Ciaran Brogan this week.

He acknowledges the hospital is seeking to address the issue, but says the conversation must go beyond the hospital grounds………

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