Mayo families 'at wits end' over hospital's latest overcrowding crisis

A Mayo elected representative has hit out that families across the county are at their wits end over what's happening today at Mayo University Hospital, where 32 patients are left without bed.

Councillor Harry Barrett stated: "This situation is completely unsafe.

"They are seeing loved ones left for hours on trolleys, in pain and distress, waiting for a bed and proper medical care.

"Constituents are very clear with me. This is not just about discomfort. It is about serious risk to life.

"Research shows that delays like this have deadly consequences.

"One in every 82 people who wait too long to be admitted, waiting more than 6 to 8 hours will die as a direct result of delays in getting specialist care.

"People in Mayo are asking how this can be allowed to happen in our main hospital.

"I am calling on both Ministers based in Mayo to step in immediately and to raise this directly with the Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll MacNeill.

"What is happening in our emergency department cannot be dismissed as business as usual. These are unsafe conditions and they need urgent action.

"Families want to see real measures taken now. That means extra staff, beds opened without delay, and proper planning so that no patient is left on a trolley for hours on end.

"This is about ordinary people who get sick and expect to be looked after when they come through the doors of their local hospital.

"They deserve safety, dignity and timely care. The people of Mayo are entitled to better than this."