Hospital trolley figures halve

Tuesday, 12 April 2011 09:54

Just over 300 people found themselves on trolleys while attending Mayo General Hospital, Castlebar, for treatment in the first three months of this year. The figure - 332 - is almost a 50 per cent drop on this time last year when for the same period, January to March, 641 patients ended up on trolleys while awaiting acute hospital beds.
Mayo General's 'trolley tally' for these months peaked in '07 with 763 patients on trolleys. The figures did decrease for the following two years but rose again in 2010, followed by this year's dramatic fall.
The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), following a comparative survey of its trolley watch figures for the first three months of each of the last six years, found that nationally a record of almost 25,000 people were on trolleys awaiting a bed in the country's A&E departments in the period January to March of this year.

This figure, says the organisation, confirms this crisis continues to worsen despite repeated commitments by government and management that this issue will be addressed.
The HSE, in a statement on the figures, said Mayo General Hospital has significantly reduced the length of time patients stay in hospital by changing the way surgery is planned and organised, with more patients being treated on a day case basis or admitted on the day of procedure. This was realised without any reduction in surgical activity.
In July 2010, medical and surgical wards were reconfigured to ensure they maximise the use of all beds available within the hospital.

A reduction in the number of patients who inappropriately occupy a hospital bed was achieved by greater integration of hospital and community services, resulting in more effective and improved discharge planning, the development of packages of care to enable older persons to be supported in their own home on being discharged, and greater utilisation of district hospitals, continuing care and nursing home beds.
Mayo General has also developed discharge planning protocols to ensure discharges are effectively planned at the earliest opportunity, with regular bed management meetings between doctors, nurses and administration staff to ensure the most effective use of all hospital beds.

The hospital has developed a contingency plan to address surges in referrals to its emergency department, such as seasonal flus and injuries as a result of adverse weather conditions.
The hospital, the statement added, acknowledges that significant progress has been made but recognise there is more to be done to ensure no person has to wait on a trolley in the emergency department for a hospital bed for any significant period of time.