News
Overcrowding in hospitals continues to Soar!
After RTE News released shocking footage of the current reality of severe overcrowding in Irish hospitals, Sue Shaw spoke with Treasa Murphy on Kerry Radio this morning.
The unsettling footage showed the corridors of University Hospital Limerick, lined with trolleys filled with patients waiting for a bed. Hallways are wall to wall with trollies that are so closely packed together that staff are finding it difficult to move around between patients. St. Vincent’s Hospital Dublin displayed a similar scene with some patients waiting in chairs, side by side with little to no evidence of patients wearing face masks.
Sue noted that overcrowding in hospitals has become more prevalent and continues to increase each year. As the issue has been evident for quite some time, the Government have been reluctant to invest in step-down facilities and community healthcare. The Irish health system needs to be restructured to facilitate the growing population, in particular the growing number of older persons. With the majority of people waiting on trollies being of an older age, they are at an increased risk of infection while also not receiving adequate care and treatment.
Sue continued to describe how the pandemic highlighted the major disparity in treatment towards older people. She also mentioned a 2017 report published in the Irish Medical Journal 2017. This highlighted the findings of a 10-year study in Beaumont Hospital which showed the unequal treatment of older people, particularly those over 80 years. It highlighted that people over 80 wait twice as long for admission as those in their 20’s. Hospital Wards ‘cherry pick’ the younger patients as they have a shorter stay, leaving older people longer in A&E with all the inherent risks associated with this.
(Image Source Irish Examiner)
We are in no doubt that this is a strain on an everyday basis for hospital staff leading to stress and burnout of people who have given their all during Covid 19 and continue to do so on a daily basis.
It is not good enough for patients or for staff and particularly for those who for a variety of reasons, age being only one of them are vulnerable and need a much better health care system.
The reality is that this is a crisis. We need to invest in developing more accessible community care, increasing the number of healthcare professionals and step-down facilities so people can recuperate outside of hospital. This would provide more opportunity to free up beds for people in a more critical state.
You can listen to full the interview on Kerry Radio HERE.
Happy Christmas from all at the Parliament!
The Board, Executive and staff extend their thanks for your ongoing support throughout 2022, we are only as good as our members, they are the strength of the ISCP.
Can we wish you a very happy Christmas and a joyful New Year.
We will see you all on our return on Wednesday 4th January.
Vicky Phelan – Action. Change. Accountability.
In 2008, the national cervical screening programme Cervical Check was established as a means to reduce the incidences of cervical cancer among women aged 25-60.
In 2017, Vicky Phelan is sitting in her consultant’s waiting room skimming over her medical record out of plain boredom. It is here she makes the cataclysmic discovery that sets in motion, a chain of events that will change the world for women across Ireland and abroad. Here lie the undisclosed audit results of an internal inquiry into the cervical programme and evidence of her inaccurate smear result from 2011. She had now been given a terminal diagnosis, realising that this might have been prevented if the original test had been read accurately.
She was unable to remain idle with the knowledge of this injustice and secrecy which has led to the preventable deaths of so many women. In 2018, Vicky battled the HSE and Quest Laboratories in the High Court. The case was settled but Vicky refused to sign a non-disclosure agreement ensuring that this information becomes available to the public. Her courageous decision not to stay silent unleashed a rollercoaster of events bringing national attention to the grave errors committed by the HSE and the Cervical Check programme.
At our Annual Parliament Meeting in November, we paid tribute to Vicky by substituting a minute’s silence for an emotional minute’s applause as a tribute to Vicky’s refusing to stay silent for herself and the women of Ireland.
She will be sadly missed by all but in particular her loving family. Our thoughts are with Vicky’s family, friends and all of the women she has and will continue to help.
Low Paid Older Workers Report 2022
On Friday 25th November, we attended the report launch of “Low Paid Older Workers: A quantitative and qualitative profile of low pay among workers aged over 50”. This research report, spearheaded by Dr. Micheál L. Collins and Dr. Catherine Elliot O’ Dare, examines the historically underexplored group of older workers in low pay. It brings together themes of ageing populations, labour market earnings and living conditions.
Dr. Collins presented some of the key findings which are briefly outlined below:
- 1 in 6 workers aged 50+ are in low paid jobs
- Older workers make up one fifth of the total low paid population
- Inadequacy of pension income influenced older workers to take-up or remain-in low paid jobs
- Older workers are more likely to work less than 20 hours per week or on a part-time basis
- Older workers are more likely to be working in administration and health/caring roles
- Older workers generally have lower levels of completed education, tend to hold permanent positions or work in smaller firms
- Low paid older workers are more likely to live in 1 or 2 Adult households and own the property they live in (Approx. 55%).
- The participants in this study perceived their pay as inadequate.
Dr. O’ Dare mentioned that participants portrayed the attitude of low-income jobs as being a better option than receiving a low-rate pension. She explored the precariousness of caring work which has been seen to affect a larger number of women thus further enshrining a gender division in this area. She noted that older low pay workers tend to remain as such due to their level of skill or lack of opportunity to develop new skills in order to progress.
Dr. Nat O’Connor from Age Action offered some stark figures around this particular age cohort, highlighting that 1 in 4 people in Ireland are aged 60 or over. He brought attention to the severe lack of data on the 50 to 64 age group and recommended that the Central Statistics Office consider this age bracket as over half a million workers in Ireland are aged 55+. Furthermore, older adults are more likely to be in long-term unemployment due to a lack of opportunities, ageist employers and the mandatory retirement age also being a factor.
Dr. Anne-Marie McGauran from the National Economic and Social Council offered some possible solutions to address the “Sticky State” or people stuck in low pay jobs. Improving educational attainment overall, would improve opportunities for low-paid workers. She questioned whether or not we could find a way of recognising life-skills or other valuable contributions of the older worker in order to qualify for a specific job. There needs to be a means to facilitate and reshape the care sector while recognising hidden care work. She also suggested that Ireland should look at creating schemes or opportunities for part-time work or job-sharing, for retirees or people nearing retirement.
For more information, you can access the full report by clicking here.