HSE apologises for ED overcrowding as 670 left without a bed

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation counted 670 people waiting around the country on Wednesday.

The HSE has apologised to patients struggling to get a bed in the country's overcrowded hospitals as trolley figures once again neared 700 on Wednesday.

Large numbers attended for emergency care for covid-19, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), and the flu, with some hospitals having already publicly said they are short of beds.

“The HSE regrets that any patient has a bad experience while waiting to access our services including those who have to wait in emergency departments beyond an acceptable timeframe,” a spokeswoman said.

“In particular, the HSE acknowledges that long waiting times are very difficult for older people and those who find themselves in vulnerable situations.” 

Hospitals saw “a 60% increase in the number of confirmed flu cases and a doubling of the number of patients who require admission to hospital due to flu”, she said.

She highlighted last week’s record number of RSV cases, saying while this decreased slightly this week, levels are still “exceptionally high”.

Respiratory illness

Across all HSE hospitals, some 23 outbreaks of respiratory illness are being managed, which means a number of wards are closed to new patients.

“We are seeing particularly high levels of attendance at our EDs of patients who are aged over 75 and we are focused on trying to minimise the length of time older patients wait to be admitted,” she said.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation counted 670 people waiting around the country on Wednesday.

Patients in Cork and Limerick faced long lines to get a bed, with 90 waiting at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) and 74 at Cork University Hospital (CUH).

The third busiest hospital was University Hospital Galway with 56 waiting.

Among nearly 30 sites with emergency departments, only three had beds for all their patients including University Hospital Waterford.

Among those in hospitals were 295 people with covid-19 on Wednesday, the highest level since mid-October.

RSV is spreading quickly with 368 people hospitalised last week alone.

Flu numbers are rising, but at a slower pace compared to the other viruses, data from the Health Protection Surveillance Centre shows.

Some 97 people were admitted to hospitals last week with flu, among 283 cases identified.

The HSE counts the trolley numbers differently. 

Its data, available online as the HSE Trolleygar, identified 517 people without a bed on Wednesday, including 65 at UHL and 35 at CUH.

Nurses have called for elective operations to be cancelled, saying this is the only way to free up enough beds for this surge of emergency cases.

Last winter, the HSE wrote to hospitals urging this be done as numbers raced even higher, reaching 931 on just one day.

Up to this week, the HSE has allocated extra funding for GP out-of-hours services and moved their own services from five-day weeks to seven days so patients are not delayed over weekends.

Hospitals have been given funding for extra beds in community services along with money for beds and treatment in private hospitals if possible.

Extra money has also been spent on working with private ambulance companies to speed up transfers, the HSE said.

Meanwhile the HSE has announced Ms Sandra Broderick as the new Regional Executive Officer of the new HSE Mid West health region from Monday next.

This is the first of the new Health Areas to have its top official announced. She will be responsible for UL Hospitals, HSE Mid-West Community Healthcare and Mid-West Public Health covering Limerick, Clare and North Tipperary.

HSE ceo Bernard Gloster said he choose to put her into the role sooner than expected, with the five other positions to be announced shortly.

“I have considered it is necessary at this time to proceed ahead of the changes in other regions and to make this intervention in the Mid West,” he said.

“I have asked Sandra to establish an immediate office presence and support team in the Mid-West pending her own final decisions on more permanent arrangements. I would ask that all of the leadership of the organisation support this expedited arrangement.”