Number of people waiting on trolleys in emergency department down by 10%
Over 108,000 people were recorded on trolleys in emergency departments last year, according to HSE figures, which represents a reduction.
Advertisement
The fall was recorded amid an 8 per cent increase in people attending and a rise of 7 per cent in admissions to emergency departments.
HSE chief executive Bernard Gloster said one of the most 'challenging' aspects for the HSE was wait times for healthcare, and said tackling 'unacceptably long' waits in emergency departments was an area of focus.
The HSE annual report for 2024 analyses the health service's performance and health trends among Irish people.
It outlined a 4.6 [er cent improvement in the number of outpatients seen within 10 weeks and a 5.5 per cent increase in the number of inpatients and day case patients seen within 12 weeks.
Advertisement
'Addressing waiting lists for scheduled care and unacceptably long waits in emergency departments (EDs) remains a priority focus area, especially for older people and those with complex needs,' Mr Gloster said in the foreword.
'My plan for 2025 is to continue to bring trolley numbers down and to improve how our health and social care system works across seven days to allow consistent access to care.'
Requests for assessments of need for children spiked by 26 per cent last year compared to a year previous, and were 33 per cent above expected demand in 2024
There were 8,400 such requests in 2023 and more than 10,600 in 2024, in figures which had previously been shared by Children's Minister Norma Foley in the Dáil.
Advertisement
Although there was a slight uptake on the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine compared to the previous year, the 89.9 per cent figure was below the target for 2024.
The chairman of the HSE's board, Ciaran Devane, said in an introductory statement to the report that Ireland's population is ageing 'faster than that of any other country in the EU'.
Since 2015, the number of people aged 65 years and over has increased by 37 per cent.
Although life expectancy in Ireland, at 82.6 years, is ahead of the EU average, the burden of cancer is higher and accounts for a quarter of all deaths of those aged over 65.
Advertisement
Ireland
Organised €14 million 'darknet' crypto crime trial...
Read More
Mr Gloster, who is to step down from his role in March 2026, said 2024 was a year of 'real progress'.
'We reduced the number of people waiting on trolleys by over 10 per cent, expanded community services and improved access to scheduled care with an additional 24,000 patients seen within target timeframes.
'Our focus in 2025 will be to build on this momentum, improve patient flow and continue to reform how care is delivered across seven days.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
31 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
I hate the ugly veins in my legs... is there a way to get rid of them? DR ELLIE reveals the treatments available – and the simple seating position that can help
I have started to get thread veins on my legs and ankles. I hate how they look. Is there anything I can do to get rid of them? Dr Ellie Cannon replies: Thread veins are not usually treated on the NHS as they are considered a cosmetic issue – but that doesn't mean there's nothing to be done.
Reuters
2 hours ago
- Reuters
US health officials, tech executives to launch data-sharing plan, Bloomberg News reports
July 26 (Reuters) - Top Trump administration health officials are expected to bring tech companies to the White House this week to roll out a plan to encourage more seamless sharing of health-care data, Bloomberg News reported on Saturday. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz are expected to host executives at an event on Wednesday, Bloomberg News reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The initiative was led by Amy Gleason, acting administrator of DOGE, known as Department of Government Efficiency, and Arda Kara, a senior adviser at CMS, the report said. Reuters could not immediately verify the report.
The Guardian
4 hours ago
- The Guardian
Rising number of doctors among hundreds of medical staff detained in Gaza, say rights groups
Twenty-eight doctors from Gaza are being held inside Israeli prisons, eight of whom are senior consultants in surgery, orthopaedics, intensive care, cardiology and paediatrics, according to data from Healthcare Workers Watch (HWW), a Palestinian medical organisation. Twenty-one of those detained have been held for more than 400 days. HWW said none had been charged with any crimes by the Israeli authorities. Three healthcare workers have been detained since the start of July. On Monday, the Gaza Health Ministry said an Israeli undercover force detained Dr Marwan al-Hams, head of Abu Youssef al-Najjar hospital in Rafah, outside the field hospital of the International Committee of the Red Cross in the southern Gaza Strip. His whereabouts are unknown, and the Israeli authorities have yet to publish a statement on his detention. On Tuesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that two of its workers were taken into detention from a facility sheltering staff and their families in Dier al-Balah; one remains in Israeli custody. According to the WHO, Israel has arrested and detained more than 300 healthcare workers since the the war between Hamas and Israel began in October 2023. HWW puts this figure higher, at over 400. Muath Alser, director of HWW, said: 'Many of the health workers were arrested at their work sites, and they remain held for months – often without communication, being denied medical care when needed, and suffering from terrible detention conditions. We urge people in power to pressure Israel to release those health workers still under unlawful detention.' Overwhelmed hospitals are already struggling to function, while increasing hunger among medical staff in Gaza has left many too weak to provide urgent medical care to malnourished and injured civilians, doctors have told the Guardian and the Arabic Reporters for Investigative Journalism. In February, the Guardian published detailed accounts from senior Palestinian doctors held and then released from Israeli detention who reported being tortured, beaten and humiliated during their time in prison. Those still being held by the Israeli authorities include Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of the Kamal Adwan hospital in northern Gaza, who has been detained at Israel's Ofer prison since December 2024. Earlier this week his lawyer told Sky News his health was deteriorating and that he was being beaten and tortured. In a statement to the Guardian, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) accused medical staff in Gaza, including doctors, of involvement in Hamas terror activity. It did not provide any evidence to substantiate the claim. 'In the context of IDF activity in combat zones, individuals suspected of involvement in terror activity are arrested and investigated. Those found not to be involved in terror activity are released. 'A regrettable outcome of Hamas' exploitation of hospitals is the involvement of medical staff, including doctors, directly in Hamas' terror activity. Put plainly, the IDF is not interested in medical staff vis a vis their roles as medical professionals, but due to their potential involvement in Hamas terror,' said the statement. Two senior doctors are known to have died in Israeli detention: Dr Iyad al-Rantisi, a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at Kamal Adwan hospital, died at Shikma prison; Dr Adnan al-Bursh, head of the orthopaedic department at al-Shifa hospital, died shortly after being transferred to Ofer prison in April 2024. Former detainees claim he died from torture and had suffered severe sexual violence in the hours before his death. Their bodies have not yet been returned to their families. The detention of medical staff from Gaza in Israeli prisons has been condemned by the WHO and the UN who have called for their immediate release. Reports of torture, violence and psychological abuse of healthcare workers while in detention have been verified by the UN and published in reports by organisations such as HWW, Human Rights Watch and Physicians for Human Rights Israel.
