Older patients are avoiding the Emergency Department at University Hospital Galway out of fear they will end up on a trolley.

That’s according to Clifden-based Councillor Eileen Mannion (FG) who told a meeting of Regional Health Forum West that health chiefs must tackle waiting times at the beleaguered ED to ensure sick patients do not miss out on much-needed care.

“Elderly people are very reluctant to go to ED because of the waiting times . . . they don’t want to be on trolleys.

“They don’t want to be leaving the comfort of their own home to go into a hospital and be left on a trolley,” said Cllr Mannion.

It was revealed that despite a slight improvement in the wait times being experienced by older patients, the average wait in ED for those aged 75 and older is still more than 12 hours.

Interim Chief Executive Officer of Saolta, Ann Cosgrove, said there continued to be high numbers attending the ED at UHG, but greater attention was being given to ensuring older patients were not left waiting unreasonable lengths of time.

“The elderly, and people over 75 years, are a particular focus in ED. There are, of course, times when it is extremely busy, but it is a continuous focus to reduce waiting times for everyone – and in particular, older people,” said Ms Cosgrove.

She revealed that there had been an 8% increase in the numbers attending the city ED in the first six months of 2024, with more than 40,000 passing though its doors between January and June.

“The number of patients requiring admission has increased by 12% on the same period last year, however, the hospital has managed to decrease the number of patients waiting on trolleys by 7%.

“The number of patients aged 75 and older attending the ED increased by 10% with the admission rate for this age group increasing by 9%. However, the length of time older patients have had to wait in the ED has reduced for the same period in 2023 from 14.1 hours to 12.4 hours. This remains an area of intense focus for the hospital,” said Ms Cosgrove.

“The hospital plans to build on that progress this year to further improve patient experience for those in our care,” she continued.

Ms Cosgrove said a number of measures, including the hiring of one new consultant and the appointment of another due in August, had been implemented to improve the situation, and a ‘rapid assessment nurse’ was now in place to deal with GP referrals and to direct patients post triage.

“We are also availing of private capacity beds in the Galway Clinic and Bon Secours Hospital for our frailty patients. A pathway in ED enables admission directly for medical patients, if required, to a bed in the Galway Clinic,” she said.

Work continued to deliver the planned new ED at UHG, said Ms Cosgrove, and “a formal project board has been established and is now finalising a master plan”.

Pictured: Cllr Eileen Mannion: “They don’t want to be leaving the comfort of their own home.”