MUH Emergency Department is 'in crisis' claims Mayo TD

A MAYO TD has demanded an immediate implementation of the Safe Staffing Framework at Mayo University Hospital (MUH), following 'alarming reports of chronic understaffing' in the hospital’s Emergency Department.

Knock-based Aontú TD, Paul Lawless issued the call following a week of high number of patients attending the Emergency Department in the Castlebar hospital which he described as 'dangerously high'

Deputy Lawless stated that despite audits being completed and submitted to the national Safer Staffing Team, MUH is still awaiting allocation and sign-off from the Department of Health. The delay, he said, is putting both patients and frontline staff at serious risk.

“We are facing a crisis in Mayo University Hospital. The Emergency Department is operating with staffing levels that fall significantly short of what is needed to ensure safe and effective care. Nurses are burnt out, patients are waiting hours for care, and the system is failing Mayo families,” he said.

Deputy Lawless outlined that the Emergency Department saw unprecedented demand last month with up to 165 patient presentations in a single day and claimed that on certain days only five nurses were rostered to manage the entire department. 

READ: Road closures announced in Mayo ahead of Ireland West runs

“I am very concerned that the Safe Staffing review in MUH has not yet been implemented into the Emergency Department in the hospital. Doctors and nurses are working under immense and sustained pressure. They are missing breaks, working unsafe hours, and carrying additional responsibilities without recognition or pay.

“I know of one man who waited over 13 hours in an ambulance outside MUH awaiting handover. The handover was unable to take place due to staff shortages. The staff were heroic, but the system is broken.

“I am demanding the immediate implementation of the Safe Staffing Framework in MUH. Urgent action from the Department of Health to approve staffing allocation must happen without further delay. There is a major staffing issue. The people of Mayo deserve safe, timely emergency care. I am calling on the Minister for Health to act now before more lives are put at risk,” he concluded.