Our local Government TDs must step up to the plate and tackle the growing problem at Naas General Hospital. The latest figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation, published this morning (Jan 6th, 2015), reveal there are more than 600 people on trolleys in hospital A&Es, the highest number recorded since “TrolleyWatch” began ten years ago, and 32 of those are in Naas General Hospital right now.

Only a few weeks ago I joined nurses from Naas General on a picket line. They are worried about the scenario and we should all be. The situation has gone from bad to worse. It is not good enough for Government TDs to ignore an issue that is affecting people the length and breadth of this county.

These figures from the INMO are further evidence of the escalating crisis in our emergency departments, which shows no signs of abating and is raising serious concerns about patient safety. Dozens of patients, many of whom are elderly and frail, are being left for days on trolleys in A&E, corridors and makeshift wards without privacy or dignity, as front line staff struggle to cope without the necessary resources or support.

I am calling on local Government deputies to lobby the Chairman of the Oireachtas Health Committee to urgently convene a meeting to discuss the crisis which is engulfing Naas General Hospital and putting patients at risk. Minister Varadkar must be brought before the committee to outline how he and HSE propose to resolve this crisis matter.