A&ES are sending patients home untreated, says GP chief

PATIENTS who need to be admitted to hospital are instead being sent back to their family doctors, GPs claimed yesterday.

In some cases, patients are being sent away from busy emergency departments without even being treated, the doctors heard at their annual conference in Limerick.

Dr Conor McGee, president of the National Association of General Practitioners, said the situation was piling extra pressure on GPs.

He told the AGM: ‘With the huge pressure on A&E, we are now seeing patients being sent home; in some cases without being admitted, and in some cases without being investigated.

‘GPs are caring for people who are sicker than what we should be caring for and those people ultimately very often end up in a bad state. These are people with chronic illnesses. People are being left until they are very sick, and in some cases dangerously so.’

He added: ‘Unfortunately there are also a lot of people in hospital right now who should be at home. The patients are being left behind in all of this.’

The conference was attended by 150 doctors. They demanded the Government postpone free GP care for under-sixes until primary care is adequately resourced.

Dr McGee said: ‘A child doesn’t stop being a child when they hit seven. I think people are struggling with the ethics of it.’

Scariff-based Dr McGee revealed the village of Feakle has now officially lost its doctor. The MoS has highlighted locals’ efforts to find a replacement doctor in spite of reduced payments for rural doctors. But the HSE has now advised patients to find a doctor in a neighbouring town.