SDLP MLA Mark H Durkan has lamented the lack of political will to address the escalating crisis at Altnagelvin Emergency Department, emphasising the toll on patients, families, and overburdened staff who are struggling to cope with unrelenting demand.
Speaking following an adjournment debate in the Assembly, the Foyle MLA said:
“I saw the situation first hand after attending Altnagelvin with my 2-year-old son in the run up to Christmas.
“It was not an easy decision knowing the pressure staff and system are under.
“As I sat there, I spoke with others; elderly patients sitting on chairs for hours, families lamenting the lack of privacy for their loved ones as they were treated in hospital corridors and the look of sheer exhaustion on the faces of staff as they worked doubly hard to cover for colleagues who had fallen foul of flu.
“Everyone I’ve spoken to have praised staff but cursed the system. Problems at the Emergency Department interface are symptomatic of problems plaguing the health service; the lack of are packages and workforce issues delaying treatment and discharge of patients.
“The issue is much wider that A&E alone but it is where many of these problems come together in a combustible mix, with people presenting in mental health crises or under the influence of substances and as a result people in need of urgent care opt not to seek it.
“That’s not to say there haven’t been improvements; we’ve seen the introduction of a children’s area, a nearby PSNI custody suite and minor injuries unit which aims to divert 17,000 patients a year away from the main ED. But despite these interventions, it still isn’t enough.
“The situation at Altnagelvin deteriorated because there was no voice in the Assembly when it was needed most.
“We need to get this sorted- it should have and would have been sorted before but we’d no Health Minister at the time because Sinn Féin collapsed the Executive. Of course, the DUP subsequently collapsed the Executive for two years.
“We’ve had no voice for 5 of the last 8 years and as a result patients and staff continue to suffer.
“The Executive has tried time and time again to absolve themselves of responsibility but their failure to deliver timely healthcare has not only costs the public purse dearly, but has costs lives.
“They need to get on with the job at hand.”
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