Record numbers are attending hospital emergency departments, the HSE has said, with hundreds of patients waiting on beds and many services battling Covid-19 outbreaks.
The health service said over 27,900 people attended emergency departments (EDs) this week alone and almost 7,000 people were admitted to hospital, an increase of 23.8 per cent on the same week last year.
A range of factors, including the impact of winter pressure and the high numbers in hospital, mean “services are treating more people than ever before.”
The HSE issued an appeal for members of the public to consider all care options before attending hospital EDs, as acute and community services face this “period of unprecedented pressure.”
“Anyone who suspects they may be facing an emergency situation should of course come to the emergency department and they will be seen and treated,” said HSE chief operations officer Anne O’Connor.
“However, we would ask those who may be in a non-urgent situation to consider other care options, particularly during this time of unprecedented pressure.”
The HSE cited a range of care pathways available to patients who do not need emergency care, including pharmacists, GPs, GP out-of-hours services and minor injury units.
INMO calls for investigation
Amid the hospital crowding, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) called this afternoon for an investigation by the Oireachtas Committee on Health.
“After months of a hands-off approach from the HSE, HIQA (Health Information and Quality Authority) and the Minister for Health when it comes to dealing with hospital overcrowding, it is time for serious political intervention from members of the Oireachtas,” said general secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha.
“By allowing hospital overcrowding to continue at this level, we are slowly creeping back to the bad habits that plagued our health service pre-pandemic.
“We are not even two weeks into the month of February and the number of patients on trolleys has already surpassed the February total for 2021.”
The INMO said that 12,859 patients have been on trolleys to date this year, with over 4,224 patients on trolleys in the first ten days of February.
The HSE said it has seen an average of 333 people on trolleys each day this week, a 203 per cent increase on the same week last year. There were 380 patients in hospitals awaiting a hospital bed this morning, it said, with 90 beds currently available and 250 closed due to Covid-19.
There were 595 patients hospitalised with Covid-19 as of this morning, along with 601 reported outbreaks of the disease across all of the HSE’s community settings.
The HSE said 51 per cent of all nursing homes are in outbreak, with 50 confirmed outbreaks in the last seven days, “having a significant impact on the number of people awaiting discharge in an acute hospital.”
It said it is continuing to use private hospitals and other facilities to support access for patients.
