705 beds closed due to cutbacks - INO

A total of 705 beds are currently closed around the country due to hospital cutbacks, according to a new survey by the Irish Nurses Organisation (INO).

And the INO says the level of emergency department overcrowding has increased by 31% over the past two years.

It adds that the number of bed closures and the level of A&E overcrowding must be added to the that we currently have 900 beds in acute hospitals around the country occupied by delayed discharge patients.

The INO says alternative more appropriate facilities are not available for these delayed discharge patients due to financial cutbacks.

According to the survey, bed closures include 34 medical ward beds at Merlin Park Hospital in Galway; 31 surgical beds at Mercy Hospital in Cork; 23 medical beds at Loughlinstown Hospital in Dublin; 25 orthopaedic beds at Crumlin Children's Hospital; 26 pre-discharge beds at St Luke's in Kilkenny; 20 beds at St Vincent's in Dublin and 56 beds and a high care unit at Monaghan Hospital.

The INO's A&E trolley wait figures show that the trolley patient numbers have increased from 3,494 in September 2007 to 4,581 in September 2009.

The INO says its survey confirms the very negative impact upon frontline patient care as a direct result of budgetary cutbacks.

Its General Secretary Liam Doran said there is a severe crisis facing our health service.

"When you add to these cuts the impact of the Government embargo on staff recruitment, which saw almost 300 jobs (157 of which were nursing posts) lost in July alone, it is self-evident that it is frontline services, staff and patients who are being hit by these cuts despite the denials from the HSE and the Department of Health."

Liam Doran said the health service has never been less prepared to face the onslaught of winter, with all the additional demands it brings, not to mention the challenge that will be faced by managing the swine flu pandemic.

He called on the Government to prioritise the maintenance of frontline health services, notwithstanding our very difficult financial situation.

Commenting on the survey, Janette Byrne of the pressure group Patients Together said they have heard from patients that they are continuing to experience severe delays in emergency departments, cancelled operations and delays in discharge to step-down beds.

She said Patients Together is deeply disappointed to hear that promises made to it by Health Minister Mary Harney five years ago to improve the A&E and beds situation remain unfulfilled.

Recent figures from the HSE confirmed that total of around 1,900 acute hospital beds are currently not available in the system, due to cutbacks, delayed discharges and maintenance work.

[Posted: Mon 05/10/2009]