HSE under fire over ‘distressing’ ward moves

FAMILIES of elderly patients in permanent care at St Camillus Hospital in Limerick say many are very distressed at a HSE decision to move them from wards where they have been cared for many years.

A HSE spokesman has described the move as a “reorganisation” of the hospital’s resources and that, at present, there are a number of vacant beds in various parts of the hospital.

The spokesman said: “Instead of having a ward three-quarters full, with empty beds, all the vacant beds will be in the one area. This is an internal change and there will be no reductions in the number of beds which is 139.

“Over the past 12 months there has been a reduction of 30 beds at St Camillus.”

The hospital caters for elderly patients with Al-zheimer’s disease and strokes, along with a variety of other conditions.

Rita Ahern from Moyross has been a patient at St Camillus for the past 19 years after she was admitted with a brain haemorrhage.

Her daughter, Teresa, said: “My mother is very upset at being moved from the Sarsfield Ward where she has been for years. The patients there are like a little family and have been with the same other patients for years.

“My children call the ward ‘Nana’s Home’ and in the next two weeks we have been told she will be moved to another part of the hospital. She is very upset.”

The HSE spokesman said: “In January 2011, the hospital had a bed complement of 179 — 139 were occupied last Friday. These comprised 79 long-stay, 22 old-age psychiatry, nine respite, 19 rehabilitation, four long-stay assessment and six early discharge patients and residents. This gives the impression of a total of 40 vacant beds, but 30 of these have not been used since the beginning of 2011 because of lack of staff.

“It is important to stress that many of these 30 beds were not in use in the second half of 2010 either.

“Management have made it clear the 30 beds are effectively closed and have been for some time.”

The spokesman claimed that “the same number of patients are being cared for in St Camillus’ today as had been cared for at the beginning of the year”.

“The only means of replacement to date for staff who have left the service or who are absent is to utilise agency, overtime and extra hours costs. As we are not funded for this, and given the overall situation in the HSE midwest, this is not sustainable.”

He added: “As one of our cost-reduction measures this year, we are seeking to substantially reduce agency and overtime bills, which in the mid-west last year amounted to €26m. At present this reduction has not affected the numbers of service users in St Camillus’s in recent times and in fact is helped by the reorganisation of the beds.”