A Tipperary mother of a son with special needs was left 8 hours before seeing a doctor recently in UHL.
Marie recounted her experience at the local facility in June where she had to take her son Gerard who has a number of health complications, as well as complex needs.
She says they waited hours before seeing a physician and geriatrician, despite Gerard needing a neurologist and she said the scenes were “unbelievable” with trolleys everywhere, and staff overrun.
She told Tipp FM that they are currently waiting 5 years for a neurology appointment and services in general for him are limited because of a lack of support for families :
“You have to fight for everything… as well as looking after gerard I am literally his nurse as well. And of course as he gets older there’s more complications set in. ”
“He’s meant to be going to the Brothers of Charity in Cashel to the centre but I am actually fighting with them at the minute because there’s no transport. I physically cannot lift his wheelchair into the car, lift him in.”
” I just cannot do it anymore.”