I wish to share my time with Deputy Dan Wallace. Cork University Hospital accident and emergency department became totally overloaded last week with the result that the section could not accept any more patients. The situation was replicated today when it became almost impossible to cater for the demand placed on the hospital's service. This is not surprising when the inadequacy of the department's layout and the lack of staff to provide the necessary lifesaving service is considered. The situation is no better at the Mercy Hospital or the South Victoria Hospital. There is too great a demand on the services in those hospitals as well.
Accident and emergency is a high risk area in terms of litigation and demands that the quality of the care and the clinical decision-making be of the highest standards to meet patient expectations and minimise the potential risk of legal action. Staffing is a key component. Staffing must have acceptable levels of seniority and experience to deliver a quality service at minimum cost and in the most efficient manner. It is stated in a report presented to the Minister for Health that the involvement of GPs at Cork University Hospital could save £1 million in the throughput of 100,000 people in the emergency services. It is also recommended in that report and by nursing unions generally that staffing levels should be one per 1,500 patients. Examination of the situation in any of the three accident and emergency departments in Cork will show that the staffing levels do not attain anywhere near that level.
The Accident and Emergency Department in Cork University Hospital is underfunded and understaffed and there is a glaring lack of facilities, which is unacceptable. It is not that the Minister has not been forewarned about the difficulties. I raised this at the Southern Health Board over 12 months ago and on an Adjournment debate in the House. Since then a review group was set up and reported in August 1995, but no action has been taken to alleviate the situation. The lack of space, the lack of staff and the appalling facilities for children in the accident and emergency department are appalling. A corner is set aside for children with a few toys and no privacy for assessment. The Minister had no difficulty in providing £30 million for Limerick Regional Hospital, but the accident and emergency services in Cork are a forgotten entity.
A letter which I received from an eminent emergency consultant physician stated that "emergency health services at Cork University Hospital have been sadly neglected and are the poorest I have seen for an equivalent development country". I call on the Minister to rectify this situation immediately.