HSE insists extensive plans are in place to prevent hospital overcrowding over Easter bank holiday

The HSE has insisted that “extensive plans” are in place to prevent hospital overcrowding this bank holiday weekend.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) indicated yesterday that 527 people who had been admitted to hospital over the previous 24 hours were still waiting for a bed. More than a a hundred of those patients were in University Hospital Limerick (UHL).

Damien McCallion, chief operations officer with the HSE, told RTE’s Morning Ireland that all of their hospitals, community services and ambulance services have looked at what they can do to mitigate the additional pressures of bank holiday weekends such as Easter. This includes measures such as ensuring a continuous flow of discharges into the weekend; and an increased availability of diagnostics and investigations, and appropriate medical and clinical cover.

Mr McCallion said UHL is looking at areas for improvement. Its medical assessment units in Ennis, Nenagh and St John’s, which take referrals from GPs, are being extended to a seven day basis.

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“That is an important step. The hospital is trying to put that in to place as quickly as possible over the coming days. It is obviously dependent on staff and staff are being re deployed to assist in putting that in place immediately.

Meanwhile, the INMO has called on the HSE to take specific steps to prevent chaos in Irish hospitals over the weekend.

INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha said their members are concerned at the very high levels of overcrowding leading into the Easter period.

“We know that after every bank holiday there is a predictable surge in the number of people on trolleys. Therefore, all efforts to increase discharges, including over the long weekend period must be undertaken. Where it is available additional capacity must be obtained from the private sector and alternative care pathways in the community must be utilised.”