Average wait times at Mayo University Hospital now over six hours

Patients attending the Emergency Department (ED) at Mayo University Hospital are now facing an average wait time of 6.6 hours, according to newly released figures obtained by Mayo Aontú TD Paul Lawless. This marks a significant 65 percent increase compared to figures in 2015, when the average wait stood at just over four hours.

Deputy Lawless expressed serious concern about the rising delays, calling them “an unbelievable statistic”.

READ MORE: Legally available cannabis being widely used by Mayo teens

“Average wait times in our EDs are an important indicator of how our hospitals are functioning. We know that extended wait times can result in delayed treatment and poorer health outcomes,” said Deputy Lawless. “In Mayo University Hospital the average wait time has increased by 65 percent.”

He linked the growing pressure on emergency departments to wider systemic issues, including a shortage of general practitioners and chronic understaffing.

“There’s a major issue across EDs around the country where, due to a shortage of GPs, patients are presenting to emergency departments for routine care, placing additional pressure on hospitals,” he said. “This ongoing crisis of understaffing across all areas of our healthcare system is resulting in a knock-on effect.”

Deputy Lawless also pointed to national figures showing that since 2017, over 500,000 people have left Irish emergency departments without being seen. He raised serious concerns about the potential consequences of these delays.

“A key question for the HSE to answer is how many people have died because they were left waiting too long before being seen in an emergency department,” he said.

In response to the alarming statistics, Lawless called for urgent action, including a shift in healthcare funding priorities.

“We need to ensure that we redirect investment away from the layers of administration to the front line. We need to see the recruitment of more frontline staff, as well as the introduction of a seven-day consultant-led roster to prevent patients from being left to pile up without care,” he urged.

He also emphasised the need to improve pay and working conditions for healthcare workers in order to address staffing shortages and improve patient care outcomes.

The HSE has not yet commented on the newly released figures.