Taoiseach 'should visit Mayo University Hospital so see the staffing gaps for himself' - TD
Mayo Aontú TD Paul Lawless has issued an urgent call for the Taoiseach to visit Mayo University Hospital (MUH) to witness first-hand 'the immense difficulty' facing the facility, where emergency department wait times have surged by 65% in just twelve months.
Speaking on the critical state of healthcare in the region, Deputy Lawless highlighted that Mayo’s only acute hospital is operating under unsustainable pressure, with average wait times now reaching 6.6 hours compared to 2024 levels.
He explained: “The scale of the crisis is underscored by a 10% year-on-year increase in demand, with the emergency department treating over 43,600 patients in the last year alone.
"Despite this rising tide of need, MUH remains constrained by a total capacity of just 332 beds.”
“On a recent morning, 32 patients were recorded waiting for beds. While additional capacity is planned, it is scheduled to be delivered over a number of years, and it is leaving frontline staff and patients in a state of immediate peril.”
The deputy expressed particular frustration regarding staffing and the delayed implementation of safety measures stating
“Safe staffing framework audit, originally carried out in 2021, was only recently sanctioned. Even with this long-awaited approval, the vital posts identified in the audit remain unfilled, leaving the hospital's unique patient cohort at risk.
"The strain on the system reached a breaking point just weeks ago when elective procedures had to be cancelled to prioritize emergency care.”
“Central to the bottleneck at MUH is a significant deficit in step-down facilities and home care packages across the county.
"These gaps in community care are creating a severe knock-on effect, preventing the timely discharge of patients and further clogging the acute hospital system.”
“Without a comprehensive visit from the Taoiseach to both the hospital and the struggling step-down facilities, the government remains disconnected from the reality of healthcare in Mayo.
"I am asking for immediate intervention to fill sanctioned staffing roles and to fast-track support for home care to alleviate the unprecedented pressure on the county's primary medical lifeline.”
* There are 19 patients left without beds at the Castlebar facility today.