Health service braced for more record overcrowding as UHL to divert patients to Ennis

On Monday, University Hospital Limerick (UHL), which has been one of the worst hit by the overcrowding crisis, launches a pilot project aimed at easing the pressure, with Ennis Hospital doctors and paramedics assessing emergency call patients there to judge whether they then need to go to Limerick or not.

If the pilot scheme is deemed successful in Limerick, it is envisaged that it could then be rolled out in other hospitals.

St Vincent's University Hospital in Dublin was the worst affected as of Sunday, with 30 patients waiting, 21 of them for more than nine hours.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) said it is to consult its members on industrial action this week, as it seeks what it called safe staffing levels underpinned with legislation.

General secretary Phil Ni Sheaghdha told RTÉ radio that that there is currently an inability to keep its members safe while at work. 

"We know, for example, that we're experiencing 11 assaults per day and that there is an underreporting of assaults against nurses...we all know what the problem is, we all know what the solutions are. 

"We know that there is an inability to act fast enough, despite all of the issues being raised in the middle of the summer of this year, both with the HSE and the Department by our union. We still have the same problem that was entirely predictable, and is simply not good enough to expect staff to just put up with that," she said.

In response, minister of state Jack Chambers said there has been one of the largest ever health budgets this year.

"We've increased the capacity with by 1,000 extra beds, 340 extra community beds, and 16,000 more staff. What I would say is I think there has been an under-utilisation by the HSE of private capacity. The public and particularly patients that are waiting so long on our on trolleys expect every measure to be used."

Seven-day a week roster

Meanwhile, the HSE’s chief clinical officer Dr Colm Henry has said the current healthcare system in Ireland is not structured to operate on a seven day basis.

Every health care system in Europe aspired to have a seven-day roster, he told Newstalk Breakfast, but at present staffing levels at the weekend were not the same as Monday to Friday.

Staff, who were already exhausted, were being asked to further stretch themselves, he said. Their efforts had seen some relief in the past week in emergency departments with some staff working two weekends back to back.

Dr Henry, who was also interviewed on RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland, acknowledged the efforts of staff, but said that such a response could not be sustained in the long term as “the system is not built to work seven days a week.” 

The HSE was working with private hospitals to access as many private beds as possible in case of a further surge in flu cases.

Funds were being provided to hospitals to link with their local private hospital to access beds so that timely critical care could be provided.

It was too early to say if the flu virus had peaked. The number of cases had risen for eight consecutive weeks, usually flu cases would peak after four weeks. 

“The impact of the viruses has not finished.” At present 188 private hospital beds had been made available of which 148 were occupied, but the HSE was “looking for as many as we can get”, he said.

Additional bed capacity remained an issue, he admitted. The system needed to change so the focus was not on “funnelling” patients through emergency departments. 

Health care needed to be provided through hubs, community care and a broader, more holistic health care system.