Five hospitals in Ireland, Cork University Hospital, Galway University Hospital, St James’s Hospital in Dublin, St Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin, and University Hospital Limerick, saw a significant number of patients waiting on trolleys in the first nine months of 2023. While national trolley numbers decreased by 12% compared to the previous year, these five locations accounted for 44% of all patients waiting at 8am counts. The Department of Health is proposing a dedicated group to focus on addressing the congestion at these hospitals.
Five hospitals in Ireland accounted for almost half of all patients who waited on trolleys in the first nine months of last year, according to the Department of Health secretary general. Robert Watt stated in his letter, dated October 1st, that substantial progress has been made year-to-date with regard to trolley numbers nationally, with 12 percent fewer patients on trolleys in the first nine months of the year compared to the same period last year.
However, he noted that five sites: Cork University Hospital, Galway University Hospital, St James’s Hospital in Dublin, St Vincent’s hospital in Dublin and University Hospital Limerick had accounted for 44 percent of all people on trolleys at 8am counts up to the beginning of October. Watt expressed concern about the continued congestion levels at these sites, particularly as the country progresses toward the busiest time of the year. He proposed establishing a group solely focused on providing oversight of these hospitals to ensure they receive the necessary support and consistent implementation of proven reforms and changes. In response, HSE chief Paul Reid stated he would engage directly with Watt on the issues at those hospitals but would not recommend the establishment of another group. Reid emphasized his commitment to minimizing the number of national groups healthcare professionals are required to report to, ensuring full attention can be applied within existing processes. Meanwhile, Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill brought a memorandum to this week’s Cabinet meeting regarding the spike in trolley numbers over the February bank holiday weekend. The numbers increased from 253 patients to 617 over the three days. Carroll MacNeill attributed overcrowding to low weekend discharge rates, noting that 2,560 patients were admitted during that time and 1,535 were discharged. She requested an analysis of the consultants rostered over the same period and found that approximately 10 percent of consultants were rostered – either on-call or on-site in the hospitals for which initial data was obtained. Carroll MacNeill deemed this insufficient. As of 8am on Wednesday, 416 people were waiting on trolleys in hospitals, according to figures from the HSE. Of these, 295 were in emergency departments, with 141 in wards. Additionally, more than 500 patients were in surge capacity beds – additional inpatient beds operating temporarily to meet demand. Emergency care demand has continuously increased in recent years, rising by 8 percent last year in comparison to 2023, with nearly 1.58 million presentations. However, the number of patients waiting on trolleys fell by 11 percent year on year
TROLLEY WAIT TIMES HOSPITAL OVERCROWDING IRELAND HEALTHCARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH HSE EMERGENCY CARE CONSULTANT ROSTERS
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