Emergency department waiting times at Mayo hospital 'a disgrace' – TD

A Mayo Oireachtas member has described waiting times at Mayo University Hospital's emergency department as a 'disgrace', saying that a plan to tackle hospital overcrowding is urgently needed.

The average wait time for admission to Mayo University Hospital A&E is 7.6 hours, and for patients over 75 years of age, the average is 10.9 hours in May.

Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh said: "The Sláintecare target for admission to an A&E department is less than six hours, yet we see from the latest figures supplied by the HSE that the wait time for patients who need admission into the hospital at Mayo emergency department is 7.6 hours.

"And, worse still, for patients over 75 years of age, the average waiting time at Mayo University Hospital was 10.9 hours. This is totally unacceptable.

"It is disgrace that patients are waiting so long for access to vital hospital care.

"The lack of any coherent plan to tackle hospital overcrowding and intolerable emergency department wait times are completely unacceptable.

"We need a serious plan to reform the health service, boost capacity and staffing levels, equip our healthcare professionals and cut wait times to deliver the timely care that patients need and deserve."