Nurses’ body concerned about overcrowding at Cork hospitals

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) has expressed concern about the situation in Cork where some 36 patients were on hospital trollies in the emergency departments at both Cork University Hospital (CUH) and the Mercy University Hospital (MUH).

INMO Industrial Relations Officer for Cork, Patsy Doyle said there were some 14 patients on hospital trollies at the emergency department at CUH and 22 patients on hospital trollies at the emergency department at MUH.

"The situation at CUH has improved in that there were 60 patients on trollies there on Sunday but hospital management opened a day ward that had been closed over Christmas and the numbers on trollies reduced to 28 on Monday and it was down to 14 today," said Ms Doyle.

According to the HSE there were 36 people on trolleys at CUH on Sunday and not 60. It agreed with INMO figures for CUH on Monday and yesterday.

“To be fair to CUH - they had good management of the emergency department up until Christmas and everybody was pulling together and while there were people on trollies, there was a good throughput so people were getting into beds.

“But the trend since Christmas has been worrying - we have everyone attending at CUH from young children to pensioners and if there is a surge in attendances, say, due to a cold spell and more elderly people coming, there isn’t the capacity to move them off trollies quickly.”

Ward closures

Ms Doyle said that the problems in CUH stem from the fact that two wards - 5A Opthalmic and 5A Day - have been closed since April and August respectively. If re-opened, they would provide over 30 beds to help alleviate the trolley situation in the hospital.

“Essentially what you have are two competing interests - you have those coming in an emergency situation and you have those coming in for planned and elective surgeries and they were cancelled over Christmas so the hospital was able to manage,” she said.

“Those coming in in emergency situations are rightly prioritised and the hospital was able to cope over Christmas when there was no elective work but people are coming in now again for their elective procedures and the two groups are in competition again for beds,” she said.

“If the planned care targets set out for the hospital are not met, then the hospitals is fined and then if the emergency cases are cared for, then the mortality figures rise,” said Ms Doyle, adding that the situation was “a huge worry” for patients, their families and staff.

The HSE declined a request from The Irish Times to be allowed visit the Emergency Department at CUH and speak to people waiting on trollies and their families, stressing that patient confidentiality was a priority for the organisation.

The HSE said: “Patients present at the emergency department to seek treatment and reassurance from Emergency Department staff in a safe space. The hospital’s primary concern is its duty of care to the patient and the quality of care they receive in the Hospital.

“Patients are, understandably, often upset, vulnerable, anxious, or in shock and, in this particular environment, it is not appropriate that patients, or those accompanying them, are approached by reporters or photographers,” it added.

A MUH spokesman confirmed that at one stage yesterday there were 22 patients on trollies in the hospital but by 6pm, this had been reduced to eight with a further six beds becoming available to accommodate some of these.

"Overall the Mercy University Hospital had one of the best records of hospitals nationally in terms of working to reduce the numbers of patients on trollies and hospital management are very conscious of the need to transfer patients into beds as quickly as possible," he said.