72 bed closures in Sligo Hospital results in an increase of patients on trolleys
The number of patients waiting on hospital trolleys nationally at 8am last Thursday morning reached 500, the highest ever recorded in the INMO's trolley watch statistics.
This 'Hospital crisis' was visibly evident in Sligo General Hospital with 14 people forced to wait on trolleys for medical attention as a result of 72 bed closures in the hospital recently.
23 patients waited on trolleys in Cavan General Hospital on the same morning, while four were reduced to same fate at the Midland Regional Hospital, Mullingar which also had it's amount of beds reduced by 41 since 2010. The figures released by the INMO (Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation) also informed the paper that 40 beds were closed between St Vincent's, Athlone/ St Mary's, Mullingar and St Joseph's, Longford (Care of Elderly Facilities).
The HSE confirmed to the Leitrim Observer that there are currently 72 beds closed in Sligo General Hospital. A spokesperson said, "The hospital has had to reduce the number of beds in the last couple of years in order to operate within its allocated budget. The hospital is keeping the situation under review and has from time to time opened up some of these beds to meet surges in activity."
The Spokesperson for the HSE went on to say, "In addition to budgetary requirements there has also been a reconfiguration of service provision within the hospital with different ways of working which has impacted on the number of acute beds. These include the development of a pre-admission clinic, i.e. the pre-assessment of patients before they attend for elective surgery so as to ensure that patients are fit for surgery and enable a shorter length of stay. Additionally the hospital has been steadily moving to day surgery which enables patients to be discharged on the same day as their admission resulting in greater efficiencies and throughput."
The HSE says that the development of Orthopaedic Departments at Letterkenny and Mayo General Hospitals over the years has "lessened the need for Sligo General Hospital to maintain its original bed capacity in this Department." The Orthopaedic service however continues to work as normal. Over the last couple of years a review of the Trauma and Orthopaedic service has been carried out in terms of utilisation of beds, inpatient/outpatient waiting lists, the move towards day services, length of stay and many other aspects of service provision. The review indicated that the hospital no longer requires a bed capacity of 52 beds in this department and is now operating off a compliment of 18 beds.
The spokesperson concluded saying, “The HSE is committed to providing the highest standards of patient care within the resources available and will continue to seek new and innovative ways of working more efficiently.”
Dave Hughes, Deputy General Secretary of the INMO called for government action to re-open closed beds in the hospitals affected by such overcrowding and to allow the HSE employ staff to look after the patients.
According to Mr Hughes, “The combination of the worst weather conditions experienced in Ireland for over 40 years, the unprecedented public finance crisis, the legacy of delayed discharge of patients and the shortage of medical doctors, are all conspiring to worsen what unfortunately has become a regular feature of overcrowding in Emergency Departments in the busiest acute hospitals”, he explained.
He said the situation in some of the hospitals is intolerable and that the misery being imposed on patients, and the staff trying to care for them, is shameful. The Organisation, he said, is receiving, on a daily basis, accounts of very elderly patients waiting very long hours in appalling conditions, sometimes on chairs because there are no trolleys available.
Mr Hughes concluded that “the current crisis is likely to continue for the next two to three months unless action is taken now. Politicians should pause in their preoccupation with the economic state of the country and address this human rights issue which is now emerging in our Emergency Departments. No civilised society can stand over the continuation of such cruelty while beds lie empty in some of the hospitals.”
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Weather for Carrick-on-Shannon, Ireland
Thursday 17 May 2012
Today
Light rain
Temperature: 5 C to 11 C
Wind Speed: 7 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Light showers
Temperature: 6 C to 11 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North east
