The current hospital / A&E crisis

If staff shortages, over worked staff and bed shortages were not enough now we have patients killing each other (30 year old violently attacking and killing an 89 year old at a Cork hospital ward)

The GP's and insurance companies have a huge case to answer regarding the issues in our hospitals. Half the people that go to a GP get refered onto A&E whether they need to or not.

Issues a GP would gladly have dealt with 15yrs ago they won't touch with a barge pole now. Some of it is down to just getting as many bodies through their doors as possible with the bigger issue being that the insurance companies have terrified them that they won't be covered should they make a bad call. So they pass the buck on everything from any ill child to stitches and sprains.

The primary care system needs to be properly resourced to take care of breaks, sprains, minor concussions etc to keep them out of the main hospitals and the GPs need to step up and actually give a diagnosis and care to their patients instead of just writing subscriptions and being a gatekeeper to the A&E.

Hospital overcrowding 'out of control' with 651 patients awaiting beds (irishexaminer.com)

Hospital overcrowding 'out of control' with 651 patients awaiting beds.

“It is clear that hospital overcrowding is out of control once again. The level of overcrowding in some of our emergency departments warrants a national response.

“The INMO has been in contact with the new Chief Executive Officer of the Health Service Executive seeking an urgent meeting in the next 24 hours ahead of what will be an extremely busy bank holiday weekend for our members."

27 of those waiting on trolleys today are under the age of 16.

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It's happening throughput the year now and FFG are doing nothing to resolve it. Staff are at their wits end.

You can throw hundreds of staff and hundreds of bed at the hospitals but it's not going to cure the issue imo. The issue is step down care and home care packages - there just aren't enough.

Our population are living longer and when the elderly end up in hospital there is nowhere for them to go so they remain in acute hospitals far longer than they need to and far longer than is beneficial to them.

I agree with your post but actually there is ample evidence to show that the Dept of Education is one of the poorest performing in the public service. It's supposed to be a complete bureaucracy and doss house. Look at the school bus programme and junior cert results in November for recent examples. Foley was a shambles during Covid.

GPs screening people at UHL A&E? I'll believe that when I see it. Is there a surplus of GPs in the Limerick area? I could see some GPs doing this alright if a ball of money is thrown at them. Ring your GP, be told there are none available, attend A&E - ah so that's where my GP is.

But it sounds more like a HSE version of TV Detector Vans. Don't attend the A&E as otherwise the boogeyman GP will stop you at the door - except there won't be any GP. It might actually work too but if that is their tactic, it shows how desperate they are.

I don't know . Just shows how desperate the situation has become in UHL .

That poor man found dead , and so many other stories .

If people actually do need further tests then that GP will refer them in to the A&E .

It sounds like an ED version of DDoc / Care Doc / South Doc etc .

If people can't get to see a GP why go to A&E ? Just book an appointment with your local after hours GP service .

Like why would you not , I don't get it ?

Very good !

Wouldn't you think that that is the first thing that should be changed ?

Also a triage nurse .

Imagine the uproar if the triage nurse had another code besides green , orange and red , and told those put in say " purple " go home and go to your GP tomorrow !

Where would they send them to, given that GPs don't have x-ray facilities or have minor injury clinics?

In my area (I presume it is similar elsewhere) people routinely contact the out of hours service if they can't get an appointment with their GP in a timely manner. The GP encourages this - telling people that they are booked up for 2 weeks and suggesting they contact out of hours service while also putting the onus on patients themselves to make a decision "if you are concerned about your health just do x and y"

What happens when someone calls the out of hours services? A very basic service, phone consultation from a nurse and a recommendation to go to A&E is often the result.

This can also easily escalate to a recommendation to call an ambulance. When ambulance arrives, ambulance crew complain bitterly about being called out on the basis of a phone consultation.

The system is a shambles with multiple parties trying to blame and deflect/fob off problems onto others and cover their own arses.

Also, surely, the out of hours service should primarily be for issues that arise out of hours, not as a relief valve for GP day services.

Yeah I know. I work in ED in UHL.