There was some consolation for staff at Tallaght Hospital yesterday as they came to terms with the latest blow to their morale: patients' sympathies were with them.
In a main concourse, where personnel looked dejected after the resignation of the hospital's chief executive, Dr David McCutcheon, patients and their relatives were offering their support.
"You feel for the staff, the nurses and doctors. They don't seem to be getting the backing they deserve," said Ms Jean Poole from Rossfield in Tallaght.
"There seem to be shortfalls of money all over the place. They were meant to have more beds in casualty but the money has run short.
"They were meant to have put in an extra ward but the money ran short. Casualty has been mad the last few days, especially with the flu going round."
She said she counted herself lucky that her mother, Mrs Sarah Gallagher, from Finglas, who was suffering from a chest infection, managed to get a bed. "A lot of people had to settle for trolleys."
Ms Fiona Carlin from Leopardstown, whose son Finian, aged three, had to receive stitches to his head after an accident, also criticised the resources and staffing in casualty.
"We came in at 10 p.m. last night and weren't seen until 12.10 p.m. Then we were told to come back again today and we had to wait another two hours before they could treat him. For a three-year-old that's a long haul."
She said staff seemed to be over-stretched and demoralised.
"Things do seem to be in a bad way. I'll be going to my GP to get the stitches out. I definitely won't be coming back here if I can avoid it."
Mr Eamon Murray, from Deansgrange, whose son Ruairi, aged two, was in for routine treatment, was worried about talk of funding cutbacks.
"Neither side seems to be budgeting properly. The hospital seems to have made a few mistakes and needs to learn from them but the Government isn't being realistic either if it thinks it can run the hospital on the cheap."
He said the facilities were far better than at Harcourt Street or Temple Street Hospitals where he used go.
"Harcourt Street was crumbling but this place is great. They've more X-rays and everything's computerised."
The main complaint from long-term patients was the standard of food, although many said it had improved recently.
A hospital spokeswoman admitted it had had difficulties in that area. But "we only get 10 per cent of the number of complaints we used to get", she said, adding that all food was prepared two hours at most before being served.
Patients and staff also said the atmosphere in the hospital left something to be desired, especially compared to the old Meath, Adelaide and Harcourt Street Hospitals.
"The atmosphere really hasn't been the best and it's gone down another notch today," said Mr Cyril Gannon (62), who previously spent 25 years working at the Meath and now delivers meals to the wards.
"The place is so big and impersonal it's going to take another year before a good, family atmosphere has been created."
Some staff members expressed sympathy for Dr McCutcheon, who they felt was unfairly forced into resigning.
"It's created a real feeling of disillusionment," said a doctor. "Everyone felt he was doing a proper job, but the Department didn't seem to like a medical person in management."
Mr Gannon said Dr McCutcheon was given "an impossible task. The finger of blame should be on the Minister, not him. The Minister didn't do his homework. He put everyone under pressure to get the hospital open on June 21st."
He added: "I wish I was back at the Meath. Everything is so pressurised here."
