Wexford General Hospital to loose its 24 hour A and E department!!!

Loobz

Ok,

Somebody somewhere has decided that if I or anybody living near Wexford has an accident, that I wont need to go to an Accident and Emergency department to get treated, AFTER 5PM in the evening!!!

So they have also decided that if I or anybody else has an accident I should go to Waterford Regional Hospital, where, depending on the severity of the accident, the person could die travelling the extra distance to this hospital.

In my situation its 10 minutes to Wexford hospital and 50 minutes to Waterford hospital.

So everybody, whatever you do, dont get injured after 5pm, as its an inconvenience for Mary Harney and her sorry department.

Please support the petition below, just your name and email is needed.

SUPPORT THE 24 HOUR WEXFORD A&E SERVICE

Thank you.

DubMedic

Don't tell me you only heard of this now?

I heard of it at least a month and a half ago, if not longer.

.

5500

Does anyone know if they have AP's in place down there now "covering" calls instead?

Loobz

DubMedic wrote: »

Don't tell me you only heard of this now?

I heard of it at least a month and a half ago, if not longer.

.

God bless your hearing. So what have you done about it? If you have nothing constructive to add dont bother posting.

DubMedic

Loobz wrote: »

God bless your hearing. So what have you done about it? If you have nothing constructive to add dont bother posting.

Play nice please, I'm showing respect to you, do have the courtesy to show it back.

I had an internal mail sent to me, that's how I heard of it. I have a link to a petition you might like to sign if you're still interested, as well as one for Our Lady's Crumlin.

.

Our man in Havana

So it is Waterford covering then?

Loobz

DubMedic wrote: »

Play nice please, I'm showing respect to you, do have the courtesy to show it back.

I had an internal mail sent to me, that's how I heard of it. I have a link to a petition you might like to sign if you're still interested, as well as one for Our Lady's Crumlin.

.

Apologies, its just it annoys me when people say they heard about something months ago blah blah. Didnt mean to snap. Could you PM me the petitions please?

Thank you.

DubMedic

Loobz wrote: »

Apologies, its just it annoys me when people say they heard about something months ago blah blah. Didnt mean to snap. Could you PM me the petitions please?

Thank you.

On the way to you.

Don't worry about it, I know it might annoy people too when they only find out about something that concerns them,and it was knowledge to some over a month and a half ago.

.

Sierra Oscar

Welcome to the club - they took Nenagh 24 hour A&E off us only a few months back.

Its part of the re-configuration plan see, except funding is a little dodgy so the cuts go ahead and the investment gets put on hold.

Random

****ing retardedness (is that a word? I don't care. It is now).

Why the hell do peoples lives have to be at the bottom of the list all the time? Put the ministers in Opel Corsas and put the saved money toward keeping people alive and well.

Honestly, we have our prioritys so warped in this country.

timmywex

There are no ap's in county wexford to the best of my knowledge.

Wexford ambulance only went 24 hour about 3 weeks ago. Theres stations in gorey/new ross and enniscorthy aswell (non 24 hours, they rotate though)


Theres no way it would work untill a few ap's are in the area constantly. Effectively if this was to happen it would mean there would be no a&e between loughlinstown and waterford overnight. :eek:

So yeh, just wouldnt work at all for another ten years maybe. Ambulance service isnt up to scrath.

Its scary though. copnsidering the hospital is a 2 minute walk from my house!

ART6

The last time this was posted I questioned if Waterford RH was supposed to absorb the task. If so, knowing WRH well, and living in Waterford, I would suggest that an ambulance trying to get from Wexford to WRH will find it very nearly impossible at some times of day since at the moment they will have to drive over the only bridge and right through the city where the traffic congestion is often horrendous.

Even when the new river crossing is open, they would still have to pass the railway station roundabout to get to the new ring road, and the roundabout is where the congestion really bites.

In addition to all of this, Waterford's excellent city council is planning to turn the Dunmore Road, where the hospital is located, into a "green route". It will have bus lanes and cycle lanes, in a road that is already horrendously congested mornings and evenings, and will then become virtually impassible.

I never cease to be amazed at the quality of strategic planning in this country.

Hooch

eireal wrote: »

Does anyone know if they have AP's in place down there now "covering" calls instead?

A/Ps are NOT the be all and end all of Pre hospital care! And they are only Pre hospital care, they are not a replacement for A/E services.

Its great to have A/Ps on the go once they have their head screwed on.....but they cannot replace a good A/E consultant IMO.

Hospital A/E departments should not be closed......but then again in what normal country would they make savings at the cost of human life?? God bless our government.....every single one of them

Vorsprung

Has anyone got any figures showing how many people are treated in Wexford A&E? How many Emergency Consultants work there?

drill

timmywex wrote: »

Theres no way it would work untill a few ap's are in the area constantly. Effectively if this was to happen it would mean there would be no a&e between loughlinstown and waterford overnight. :eek:

And theres talk of loughlinstown closing at nite in the near future!!

DubMedic

This government is really extracting the urine with these closures.

Someone needs to set up camp in Leinster House and use it as a mini A&E. Let them see the kind of BS Healthcare workers have to deal with on a daily basis.
The I have a pain in my toenail. The occasional eTOH. The Cardiac Arrest, to name but a few.

After a day of blood,sweat and tears in the lobby of Leinster House, I think the lovely holy men and women who take seats in our nation's government would consider opening a hospital.

We need to bring the game into the government's yard before they will play ball with us. They pretend not to see what's happening & can make speeches saying we need change, that's not good enough. We want hospitals, not fake promises.

.

dredre

nice guy always wrote: »

A/Ps are NOT the be all and end all of Pre hospital care! And they are only Pre hospital care, they are not a replacement for A/E services.

Its great to have A/Ps on the go once they have their head screwed on.....but they cannot replace a good A/E consultant IMO.

Hospital A/E departments should not be closed......but then again in what normal country would they make savings at the cost of human life?? God bless our government.....every single one of them

This is exactly the point. Wexford has 2 part time Emergency Medicine consultants shared with Waterford. People are deluded if they think they will be treated by a consultant when they attend Wexford ED, more likely they will be treated by an inexperienced junior with no supervision. The theory is that most people will be better off if they have to travel further to receive a higher level of care. Unfortunately some will be worse off as a result but the priority is to do the most good for the most people. It is not financially viable to have an ED in every town.

I'm not saying it is right or fair, but if resources are limited, then they have to be spent wisely.

Putting the ministers in Opel Corsas would save €200,000 per year or so. This is not the solution to the country's dire state, although it would be nice!

Loobz

Ok, i know this is a little off topic and maybe a slight rant but...

F F Sake! What can the people of Ireland do to stop these w@nkers in Government. These people are supposed to be educated and know what they are doing (and im not into party politics because I dont think Enda Kenny on his own is the solution to any of our problems).

This country is stuck in a hole and cant get out. Why cant they look at REAL waste of money in a rural area. Im sure all of us here could name a few. If we added that bill up it would be a start. For example, I live in the country and on more than one occasion, have seen a county council worker hide in his truck for hours on end when he is supposed to be fixing the roads. While not only 2 weeks ago my partner burst her tyre on a pothole? He is getting paid to sit on his hole, and we are paying him!!!

I really do think that the people in government have no shame whatsoever. Every day they get into their 09 Mercedes etc and get driven arond the place because they think they are above everybody else? Why is it when somebody becomes a minister they suddenly loose the ability to drive? The worst thing is Im just here typing this and its as far as it will go. If I print this and send it to Brian Cowan, f*ck all will be done about it. Why should I or anybody else take that as an answer?

BAck to the hospitals, we all know people are lying on trolleys every day. I know of a person who died, on a trolley in the corridor of Wexford hospital, in front of everybody else on the trolleys. Now I dont know about you but somebody is directly responsible for that persons death.
If they died in a hospital bed, getting proper attention then that person may have been granted some form of dignity. When I heard about that I felt sick. And I am ashamed of our country, absoloutly disgusted with it. If I had the chance I would emigrate. You hear of people emigrating because of war, famine etc, which is a more extreme circumstance. But when a country is supposed to be nuetral and far from a 3rd world country, yet people are dying and left on trolleys in our hospitals corridors, and their solution is to close wards, close A and E, its almost as if they have simply cracked under pressure and have no idea what they are doing... what more can I say. God help us all.

DubMedic

Loobz wrote: »

When I heard about that I felt sick. And I am ashamed of our country, absoloutly disgusted with it. If I had the chance I would emigrate. You hear of people emigrating because of war, famine etc, which is a more extreme circumstance. But when a country is supposed to be nuetral and far from a 3rd world country, yet people are dying and left on trolleys in our hospitals corridors, and their solution is to close wards, close A and E, its almost as if they have simply cracked under pressure and have no idea what they are doing... what more can I say. God help us all.

Obama for Taoiseach 2010.

.

Our man in Havana

Vote NO to Lisbon 2.

ART6

Loobz wrote: »

This country is stuck in a hole and cant get out.

There's the old saying "If you're in a hole, stop digging." We are running out of money fast and so we are closing hospitals while pouring billions into banks and property developers. So it seems the Irish version of the cliché is "Keep digging."

dredre

Bond-007 wrote: »

Vote NO to Lisbon 2.

How will that help us? The EU is the only thing that has stopped us going under completely.

Our man in Havana

Lisbon being lost will ensure that Zanu FF will be removed from power.

Traumadoc

dredre wrote: »

This is exactly the point. Wexford has 2 part time Emergency Medicine consultants shared with Waterford. People are deluded if they think they will be treated by a consultant when they attend Wexford ED, more likely they will be treated by an inexperienced junior with no supervision. The theory is that most people will be better off if they have to travel further to receive a higher level of care. Unfortunately some will be worse off as a result but the priority is to do the most good for the most people. It is not financially viable to have an ED in every town.

I'm not saying it is right or fair, but if resources are limited, then they have to be spent wisely.

The danger is that with increased distance from an emergency department there is increased mortality. This is especially true for medical problems.ANd is backed up by studies into reconfiguration in the UK.

One theory is that due to the increased distances many people needing emergency care elect not to go until their condition is critical. Often it is too late then.

The other problem is that there is not enough capacity in Waterford, so many of these critically ill patients end up being treated on a corridor or even in the back of an ambulance as is the case in many Dublin hospitals that are working without sufficient capacity.

Wexford sees about 40000 patients per year about the same as St vincents in Dublin. AFAIK there is one part time consultant.

ART6

Traumadoc wrote: »

The danger is that with increased distance from an emergency department there is increased mortality. This is especially true for medical problems.ANd is backed up by studies into reconfiguration in the UK.

One theory is that due to the increased distances many people needing emergency care elect not to go until their condition is critical. Often it is too late then.

The other problem is that there is not enough capacity in Waterford, so many of these critically ill patients end up being treated on a corridor or even in the back of an ambulance as is the case in many Dublin hospitals that are working without sufficient capacity.

Wexford sees about 40000 patients per year about the same as St vincents in Dublin. AFAIK there is one part time consultant.

It's regression to old Ireland where you didn't pay for the doctor, you paid for the undertaker.

DrIndy

Once again I reiterate - you cannot close existing ED units without

1) developing a HEMS (helicopter evac service) which runs 24 hours a day across the whole country
2)putting advanced paramedics in every ambulance station 24 hours a day.

IF this happens - then developing larger regional units would help as they would have the speciality backup to improve patient care and allow secondary units to act as stepdown for convalescence and minor investigation.

However, Step 1 and Step 2 are missing from this. As is any investment in the "regional centres".

Sierra Oscar

DrIndy wrote: »

Once again I reiterate - you cannot close existing ED units without

1) developing a HEMS (helicopter evac service) which runs 24 hours a day across the whole country
2)putting advanced paramedics in every ambulance station 24 hours a day.

IF this happens - then developing larger regional units would help as they would have the speciality backup to improve patient care and allow secondary units to act as stepdown for convalescence and minor investigation.

However, Step 1 and Step 2 are missing from this. As is any investment in the "regional centres".

For Nenagh the HSE's re-configuration plan is probably the way forward in the long run, however the HSE are closing A&E units without implementing the resources the reconfiguration plan cleary highlights need to be implemented before cuts are made.

As I have said time again, the HSE are great for following the "cuts" suggested in their reports, but are not very good at fulfilling the resource commitment in those same reports.

dredre

Bond-007 wrote: »

Lisbon being lost will ensure that Zanu FF will be removed from power.

Voting no will only limit our involvement in the EU. not remove FF. I think it would be a big mistake to vote against lisbon because of this government's mistakes. By all means vote no if you are against it, but it is too important to let anger at FF be the reason for rejecting it.

fifth

Anyone who has ever had to use A&E in Wexford or any hospital will really know how devastating this can and will be. I fully oppose this and I don't know how or where I can start - what or who should I contact?

It's terrifying when they announce cuts to HEALTH like that. Such a fundamental thing in human life..

ART6

dredre wrote: »

Voting no will only limit our involvement in the EU. not remove FF. I think it would be a big mistake to vote against lisbon because of this government's mistakes. By all means vote no if you are against it, but it is too important to let anger at FF be the reason for rejecting it.

True, but perhaps the problem is that Lisbon is being pushed hard by FF and few believe a word they say any longer. The vast majority of people will not have read the Treaty and wouldn't understand it if they did. Instead they listen to what the politicians tell them, and when they believe that those politicians are blatant liars, why should they believe what they are told about Lisbon? Would you agree to a deal proposed by someone who you believe is a liar?

You are right of course that the issue should be about the EU not FF, but I suspect that is not going to be the case if not in the way you imagine.

Shield

Lots of Lisbon talk over on the European Union forum if anyone's interested in debating it.

Back on topic please...

ART6

psni wrote: »

Lots of Lisbon talk over on the European Union forum if anyone's interested in debating it.

Back on topic please...

Yep. Apologies:o

Traumadoc

DrIndy wrote: »

Once again I reiterate - you cannot close existing ED units without

1) developing a HEMS (helicopter evac service) which runs 24 hours a day across the whole country
2)putting advanced paramedics in every ambulance station 24 hours a day.

IF this happens - then developing larger regional units would help as they would have the speciality backup to improve patient care and allow secondary units to act as stepdown for convalescence and minor investigation.

However, Step 1 and Step 2 are missing from this. As is any investment in the "regional centres".

The main problem is that there is a capacity problem, the population is aging and as a result there is increasing demand for emergency services, emergency attendances are increasing at about 8-10% per year, this is despite people knowing that they could be waiting for hours before they are seen. Admission rates are fairly constant at about 30% of attendances.
Forcing people to bigger hospitals will mean longer waits in these bigger hospitals, followed by longer trolley waits.
Many people with serious illness may not go to these centers instead they will wait to see if their illness improves.
While the treatment of serious trauma may improve I think for the medically ill ( ie the elderly ) mortality may increase.

For every 10km you are from a hospital the mortality increases by 1%

dredre

Traumadoc wrote: »

For every 10km you are from a hospital the mortality increases by 1%

In a single study, which established an association but not cause.

Loobz

St. Aidans Ward is now officially closed in Wexford General hospital. So now if youre a male, and you need to stay overnight in Wexford Hospital, you will have to sleep on a trolley like everybody else. The empty beds are still on the ward, just locked behind closed doors.

tallaght01

dredre wrote: »

In a single study, which established an association but not cause.

Can you reference that paper? I would have thought a correlation is pretty strong evidence if there's a good control group, a long study duration, and similar pathology. But I haven't seen the paper.

I agree with DrIndy. If they're going to go tis way they need to get a system in place like the Australians, where you can get docs and nurses out to people by fixed wing or by chopper. 50 minutes to an A+E in Ireland is pretty shoddy.

dredre

Emergency Medicine Journal 2007;24:665-668

supermedic

Possibly the scariest thing is that Loughlinstown is seriously being considered for reduced hours in the ED soon. That will mean Waterford or St. Vincents as the 2 options for those living along the south eastern seaboard. I know Wicklow has a few AP's working there, but not sure about elsewhere

kaizersoze

Loobz wrote: »

St. Aidans Ward is now officially closed in Wexford General hospital. So now if youre a male, and you need to stay overnight in Wexford Hospital, you will have to sleep on a trolley like everybody else. The empty beds are still on the ward, just locked behind closed doors.

Portiuncula hospital in Ballinasloe is also about to loose 24hr A&E shortly and coincidently St. Johns (male ward) is closing/closed as well.

DrIndy

Every paramedic in north queenland is a level 3 paramedic = Advanced practitioner (in ireland).

In addition they also have level 4 (gold badge) and ICU paramedics here which are trained in even more stuff when people are an extremely long distance away from an ED.

This is the way forward. Ireland needs to follow suit and upskill everyone who wants to be. This allows greater levels of early intervention which saves lives. However, you then need to pay people appropriately and fund the training program - but hang on. That costs money doesn't it.

Rameses

supermedic wrote: »

Possibly the scariest thing is that Loughlinstown is seriously being considered for reduced hours in the ED soon. That will mean Waterford or St. Vincents as the 2 options for those living along the south eastern seaboard. I know Wicklow has a few AP's working there, but not sure about elsewhere

Loughlinstown have 4-5 AP's as far as i know.

Loobz

The following is taken form the Wexford People Newspaper

Conor CULLEN

Wednesday August 12 2009

"PATIENTS at Wexford General Hospital's A&E Department are being 'treated like cattle' despite there being a large number of empty beds in the hospital currently declared unavailable to save money, according to Wexford TD Brendan Howlin.

Mr Howlin visited the A&E department early last Friday afternoon and said it was 'chaotic' with well over 20 patients lined up on trolleys and being 'treated like cattle' in the corridor because beds weren't available.

'They had cleared the worst of the backlog at that stage, but you couldn't swing in a cat in there,' said Mr Howlin, adding that people were also on trolleys in the middle of A&E, as well as in the corridor adjoining it.

He said that there were so many people on trolleys that others, with serious conditions, including one man he knows who'd had a stroke, had to be treated in seats where they had been waiting for medical attention.

The 14-bed Gynae Ward at Wexford General Hospital was closed earlier this year, while the 24-bed St. Aidan's Ward was closed on Monday, July 27 last.

The HSE said the latest ward closure is a 'temporary closure in the context of cost containment' and that it will re-open again in six weeks.

However, Mr Howlin said the unavailability of the 38 beds is further proof that the acute services at the hospital are being 'downgraded by stealth', ultimately with the aim of transferring them to Waterford Regional Hospital.

'The perversity of it is that we had public meetings and protests and years of campaigning to get an extra 19 beds at Wexford General Hospital and now 38 have been taken out of the system,' he said.

'The whole logic of that (extra 19 beds) was to reduce the pressure which everyone accepted was on the A&E Department, as it's unconscionable to have people on trolleys.

'However, now – by deliberate policy – the HSE and hospital management are rostering people to work in the corridors, while there are two wards closed with perfectly functioning beds,' said Mr Howlin.

'The trolleys are end-to-end. There is one toilet and no wash facilities other than a sink, while very personal and confidential details have to be provided in a corridor,' he said. 'All of this could avoided with decent management and planning.'

'The priority for management at Wexford General Hospital, in managing the hospital budgetary position, is – and continues to be – the maintenance of frontline and emergency services. Wexford General Hospital will protect the integrity of emergency and critical care services while introducing measures to stay within budget,' said a HSE spokesman.

In respect of the ward closures, the spokesman said that 'efficiencies are maximised with holiday and bank holiday periods, where traditionally there are lower levels of planned admissions at Wexford General Hospital'.

The spokesman said that the A&E Department at sees an average of between 90 and 100 patients each day. Generally, at least 25 per cent of patients require hospital admission.

However he confirmed that the A&E Department has, on occasions, been very busy due to a large number of acutely ill people presenting and that was also the case last Friday, August 7.

'Wexford General Hospital is working to ensure that the length to admit a patient is kept to a minimum,' said the spokesman".

- Conor CULLEN

Loobz

Announcement:

'Public Rally of Support for Wexford General Hospital in Whites Hotel, Weford Town. Sunday 27th September 2009 at 7pm.

Demand Full A+E Cover and Full Acute Hospital Care for the People of County Wexford and others.
Log onto www.brendanhowlin.ie for details and sign the online petition'.

I encourage everybody and anybody to attend this rally. Its in everybody's best interest.

Thank you.