I recently experienced first-hand the harsh reality of attending the Emergency Department at University Hospital Kerry in Tralee. I waited more than 10 hours, in considerable discomfort, before being seen by a doctor.

Unfortunately, my experience is not exceptional. A friend recently waited an extraordinary 16 hours for treatment at the same Emergency Department, without being offered food or water. Many other patients and families in Kerry have reported similarly lengthy waits.

Nobody attending an Emergency Department expects to be seen immediately when other patients have more urgent or life-threatening conditions. Triage is essential, and those in greatest clinical need must always take priority. But routine waits of 10, 12 or even 16 hours should not be accepted as an inevitable feature of emergency healthcare.

These delays matter. People attending A&E are often frightened, in pain and unsure whether their condition is serious. Very long waits can cause considerable distress and discomfort and, in some circumstances, potentially delay important diagnosis or treatment.

The problem also places enormous pressure on doctors, nurses and other hospital staff. This petition is not a criticism of frontline healthcare workers, who are frequently doing their best under extremely difficult circumstances. It is a call for them to be given the staffing, resources, facilities and systems necessary to provide patients with safe, timely and compassionate care.

Conditions while waiting also need to improve
The experience of spending many hours in the Emergency Department is made considerably worse by the limited facilities available to patients and those accompanying them. During my visit, the waiting environment was extremely uncomfortable, particularly given the length of time people could be expected to remain there. Even basic needs such as easy access to drinking water (except through a vending machine) and facilities for charging a mobile phone were not provided. The seating is of the most cheap and basic kind, extremely unsuitable for a long wait. 

These may sound like relatively minor matters, but they become important when someone who is ill, injured or distressed is required to remain in a waiting area for 10, 12 or 16 hours. Patients should be able to access drinking water, charging points and appropriate seating, as well as clear information about what is happening and likely waiting times.

We are calling for action
We call on University Hospital Kerry and the Health Service Executive to urgently review Emergency Department waiting times and conditions and take practical steps to improve them, including:

1. A minor injuries clinic should be provided to take some of the demand off the Accident and Emergency Department (as suggested by Tralee TD Pa Daly)
2. Adequate staffing and resources – ensuring that sufficient doctors, nurses, healthcare assistants and support staff are available to meet demand. Two doctors on overnight is clearly not anywhere near being sufficient and at the least needs to be doubled to 4 doctors.
3. Effective triage and patient flow – ensuring urgent cases are identified rapidly while reducing unnecessary delays for other patients.
4. Better communication with patients – providing clearer information about delays, what patients should expect and, where possible, approximate waiting times.
5. Improved waiting facilities – including readily accessible drinking water, sufficient comfortable seating, phone-charging facilities and appropriate support for people facing very long waits.
6. Greater investment in community and out-of-hours services – ensuring that people who do not require hospital emergency treatment have realistic alternatives to attending A&E.
7. Transparency about performance – publishing and monitoring waiting-time data and setting out what action is being taken when patients experience exceptionally long waits.

My own wait of more than 10 hours was extremely difficult. Hearing that a friend subsequently waited 16 hours for treatment reinforced my concern that this is not simply an isolated bad experience but an issue that needs serious attention.

Patients in Kerry deserve better
An Emergency Department is one of the most important services a hospital provides. People arrive there when they are often sick, injured, frightened or in severe pain. They should not routinely face waits extending through much of a day or night before receiving treatment.

We recognise the dedication of the healthcare professionals working at University Hospital Kerry. This is a system ;ebel problem  - it is not one that can be blamed on individual nurses or doctors.

This petition asks the hospital and the HSE to give those staff the resources and support they need – and to provide the people of Kerry with the timely, safe and humane emergency care they should be able to expect.

Please sign this petition calling on University Hospital Kerry and the HSE to take urgent action to reduce excessive Emergency Department waiting times and improve conditions for patients while they wait.