A&E overcrowding is an emergency of our time

It is clear that the persistent problem of emergency department overcrowding is going nowhere fast.

Once again, the trolley count is going in the wrong direction, with 528 patients languishing on trolleys one day last week.

The Irish Association for Emergency Medicine (IAEM) estimates about 350 deaths occur every year due to emergency department overcrowding.

Based on that scenario, since Fine Gael took office in 2011, approximately 1,750 patients have died due to ...