Call to fast-track cancer patients through A&E

The whole issue of fast-tracking cancer patients through the emergency department at University Hospital Galway is to be raised with the health minister.

It has been claimed that cancer patients whose immune systems are compromised are waiting for several hours before being admitted for treatment.

Those patients attending for chemotherapy or radiotherapy go straight to oncology – but cancer patients, whose immune systems are compromised by the effects of treatment, have to wait in the ED if they have an infection or suspected infection.

And one Galway East TD said that he had been contacted in recent weeks by some cancer patients who had expressed concerns over this.

Deputy Paul Connaughton Jnr said that the patients were pleased with the cancer care treatment they received, but the delays in the emergency department were unacceptable.

“In recent weeks, I have been contacted by a number of cancer patients who have outlined to me their concern about the systems and facilities in place at UHG for cancer patients.

“All of the people that I have spoken to have stressed that they are exceptionally pleased with both the medical treatment on offer and the staff they encounter on their visits to the hospital, in general, and the oncology day clinics and wards, in particular.

“However, there are issues around facilities at the hospital that make visits unnecessarily stressful for patients and their families.

“These include the long waits oncology patients with infections have to endure in the Emergency Department when their course of treatment can only be determined by an oncology team,” Deputy Connaughton said.

He said that all of the people he had spoken to had highlighted the dangers for cancer patients, whose immune systems are compromised by the effects of chemotherapy, having to wait for hours in the emergency department because of an infection or suspected infection.

“This places huge stress on both patients and staff in the Emergency Department who work tirelessly to ensure that immune suppressed cancer patients are accommodated in the most suitable and secluded areas,” he added.

“It has been suggested to me by patients that a dedicated emergency room to serve oncology patients is required for the hundreds of patients who attend this cancer centre of excellence.

“I have taken up this issue with Minister Leo Varadkar and also with the chairs of the Emergency Department Taskforce as I believe that a large percentage of the throughput at Accident and Emergency in Galway relates to cancer patients, as the hospital is a centre of excellence for a huge portion of the country,” Deputy Connaughton added.