Lack of supports sees seven clinically discharged patients remain in Mayo hospital
MAYO Aontú TD Paul Lawless has raised concern regarding the severe shortage of nursing home beds and home care hours in the county which is forcing medically discharged, often elderly, patients to remain in hospital wards.
The situation is blocking beds and fuelling overcrowding in emergency departments like that at Mayo University Hospital (MUH), he said.
Deputy Lawless explained: “Currently there are seven patients in MUH, and 420 across the country, deemed fit for discharge but unable to leave due to a lack of community support. One of those patients has been in MUH for over six months.”
“Being 'clinically discharged' means the hospital medical team has done its job - the acute phase of care is over, and the patient is medically fit to leave. Yet, because the State has failed to provide a safe place for their next stage of recovery, they are forced to occupy a high-cost acute bed.
He continued: “Mayo is operating with approximately 493 total non-acute beds for a population of 137,000. This equates to only 1.5 beds per 1,000 population, significantly below the recommended average of 2.5-3 per 1,000.
“The minister is misguided to state that lack of discharges in MUH over the weekend is due to staffing issues. While staffing in acute settings is a concern, the reality is that many care facilities do not admit patients over the weekend, thereby completely halting patient flow out of acute settings. This issue is systemic.”
Deputy Lawless concluded “The community homecare sector, a vital component of the solution, is also failing. There are currently 245 people in Mayo on waiting lists for home care support. Despite a total of 617,592 HSE home care hours being funded, staffing issues and the poor pay model mean thousands of hours remain undelivered.
“These are ordinary, old people trapped in the chaos of hospital wards, suffering sleepless nights, exposed to infection, and desperately wanting to go home.
“The mismanagement of our health service is creating a threat to life for our most vulnerable.”