Patient Together offer our full support to the I.N.O should their members Protest

national | rights, freedoms and repression | press release

Monday February 07, 2005 15:30

by Patients Together via eeekkkk

087-2539977

It must be said that in our efforts to highlight the ongoing crisis one thing is constant –
The respect and gratitude the patients have for the nurses and doctors in A&E across the country who have continued to work for years in unhealthy and unsafe conditions and as they so rightly say enough is enough for patients and staff. It must stop now.

Patients together met with Minister Harney in November at that meeting she promised she would meet with us again in a few weeks. In light of the continued deterioration of conditions for staff and patients in A&E we now seek that meeting. We also wish to discuss any actions taken to implement our demands

DEMANDS of Patients Together on behalf of users of A&E departments

We demand today a target time of a maximum four hours for any trolley stay and insist that this be less for those left in chairs.

We have found from our experience that hygiene and safety standards are being compromised and request that an independent health and safety audit be immediately carried out in all our A&E departments around the country and its findings be made public.

Could Ms Harney please take the time to visit the A&E department at the Mater Hospital unannounced with representatives from Patients Together .We would see this as your serious commitment and acknowledgement of the plight of those in A&E.

At present when a family member is left lying for days in A&E it takes a horrendous toll on all family members, as most must do a 24hour vigil. Resulting in vomiting bugs, work commitments suffering also children and basic home life disrupted. We find this unacceptable and demand your immediate attention.

We question what would happen today if we suffered a major disaster when our A&E departments are already working to full capacity.

Accident and emergency is by its very nature an emergency and needs immediate attention.

We feel that the privacy and dignity of patients in A&E is being violated.