Berliner Tageblatt - Over-75s Face 25% Surge in Emergency Department Delays

Provisional Health Service Executive (HSE) figures reveal a sharp increase in prolonged emergency department waits for elderly patients, with nearly one-in-three individuals experiencing breaches of the 24-hour standard aged 75 or older. Between January 1 and November 1 of this year, 15,507 people in this age group spent more than 24 hours in an emergency department, a 25% rise from the 12,401 recorded during the same period in 2025.

The data highlights a disproportionate impact on older demographics. While patients aged 75 and over constitute approximately 7% of Ireland’s population, they accounted for nearly 33% of all patients enduring 24-hour emergency department breaches in the first ten months of 2026. Overall, 47,213 patients of all ages experienced these significant delays, representing a 13.8% increase compared to the previous year.

Stephen McMahon, director of the Irish Patients Association, described the statistics as evidence of "deeply disturbing inequality in access to emergency healthcare." He noted that older patients are particularly vulnerable due to frailty and multiple medical conditions, which can lead to rapid deterioration during extended waits. Of the 219,263 emergency department visits made by those aged 75 or older this year, seven percent resulted in a wait exceeding 24 hours. Additionally, around four-in-ten of all presenting patients in this age group spent at least nine hours in the department.

The average time spent in an emergency department for all patients in Ireland reached 7.02 hours in the year leading up to November 1. Wait times were notably longer at specific sites, with Beaumont and Tallaght hospitals recording average durations of 10.4 hours.

In response to the rising figures, an HSE spokesperson identified a surge in emergency department presentations by older patients as a "significant contributor" to overall demand on health services. The spokesperson explained that this demographic often presents with complex health needs, multiple underlying conditions, and increased frailty, requiring more comprehensive clinical assessment, diagnostics, and specialist input.

The HSE stated that measures are continuously implemented to facilitate patient movement through hospitals and maintain safe care in accordance with the Hospital Escalation Framework. These strategies include optimizing surge capacity, utilizing off-site capacity, reducing planned activity during peak overcrowding, and engaging private hospital capacity where possible.

However, the health service acknowledged that cumulative industrial action and increased attendances over recent weeks have placed exceptional pressure on hospitals nationwide, driving emergency department attendance to record levels. The spokesperson emphasized that while healthcare staff work to identify and treat those in greatest need as quickly as possible, patients whose needs are not deemed acute may face considerable delays during this period of heightened demand.

P.Anderson--BTB