Independent TD Mattie McGrath, has expressed his increasing concern surrounding the lack of resources which are creating issues of poor hygiene and lack of privacy for patients at South Tipperary General Hospital.

Deputy McGrath was speaking after he became worried about the rise in complaints to his office about the provision of adequate health and safety standards at the hospital.

“In recent times I have become increasingly worried about the devastating impact that the patient/trolley ratio is having on general standards of care at the hospital. This morning we have seen the truly disturbing figures from the INMO websites ‘Ward Watch’ analysis which has revealed that South Tipperary General is just behind Beaumont and Cork University Hospital in terms of the scale of the problem. This is absolutely unacceptable.”

The Newcastle-based deputy says the knock on effects of the problem are also ‘a source of deep unease’ with many patients and visitors to the hospital complaining of poor standards of hygiene.

“I am only too aware of the dedicated nature of the staff at the hospital and so I would not see today’s figures as a reflection on them. They speak instead to the overly bureaucratic structure that Minister Reilly and the HSE have done next to nothing to address. Instead of making provisions for frontline and hygiene staff they have instead, chosen to fatten the ranks of middle management to no positive effect. The conditions in which some of our elderly are being left is nothing short of degrading, in some instances, many of whom are deeply embarrassed by the public nature of their treatment in corridors.

“I am calling on the Minister and HIQA to investigate these issues as a matter of urgency given that it is only a matter of time before the delivery of healthcare in such conditions gives rise to serious or life threatening mistakes being made,” concluded Deputy McGrath.