Sir, – In relation to Cork University Hospital (CUH) “Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll Mac Neill has said the metrics to measure safety are not signalling anything out of the ordinary, and it is on par with other hospitals” (“‘People will die’: The secret recording, the Taoiseach and turmoil at Cork’s main hospital, Ireland, November 7th).
This is a real “Yes Minister” moment. The ordinary state of affairs in Irish hospitals is unsafe. Excessively long waiting lists, patients waiting on trolleys and chairs in emergency departments and hospital surge areas for a bed mean compromised care. Such healthcare, which may not be out of the ordinary, is unsafe and being “on par” with other hospitals should be no reassurance to anyone. – Yours, etc,
Dr PEADAR GILLIGAN,
Emergency medicine consultant,
RM Block
Dublin 4.
