They're not Corridors, they're virtual wards

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http://www.independent.ie/national-news/hospital-is-a-danger-to-anyone-let-alone-the-sick-says-coroner-2804842.html

Shocking and unfortunate as this story is, it's the term "virtual ward" that I find most obscene. Someone in the HSE has obviously decided to put a glossy name on the old unfortunate corridor and transform in into somewhere that acceptable to leave patients :eek:

And despite all the complaints by staff on the ground, nothing is being done, crazy crazy stuff.

A SENIOR medical consultant has given a damning assessment of one of the busiest hospitals in the country describing "appallingly poor standards of sanitation".

The sharp indictment of standards was heard yesterday at the inquest into the death of Thomas Walsh (65), of Elmcastle Park in Kilnamanagh, Tallaght, Dublin, who died on March 2.

Dr James Gray, a consultant in emergency medicine at Tallaght Hospital said the frequent overcrowding at the hospital meant Mr Walsh was effectively waiting in a corridor.

During his brief stay in the hospital, he was in a "virtual ward" -- another name for hospital corridors and alcoves where patients are left on trolleys while they are waiting for a bed in a ward.

Dr Gray said the hospital corridor where Mr Walsh was left was not a designated area to have patients. There was a lack of facilities such as oxygen outlets and monitors.

He said there were "appallingly poor standards of sanitation" with no dedicated toilet or sink on the corridors, where up to 59 patients have been known to be at any one time.

"There is no isolation facility and poor infection control on the corridors," he said.

At one stage, three people with the contagious bacterial infection TB were left in the corridor, Dr Gray said.

"This is not the first cardiac arrest of a virtual ward patient . . . and at some point in the future there may well be another cardiac arrest on the virtual ward if overcrowding continues," he said.

Dublin county coroner Dr Kieran Geraghty said the hospital "sounds like a very dangerous place to be for anybody let alone a sick patient".

Dr Gray said he and his colleagues have complained about these conditions to the Human Rights Commission, the Health Service Executive, the Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) and the Medical Council but that overcrowding was still continuing.

Anne Donovan, director of nursing at Tallaght Hospital, said nobody could stand over the fact that patients were waiting in a corridor. However, she said the corridors were the safest place for patients to be when there are no alternatives.

John O'Connell, acting CEO of the hospital said the catchment area of Tallaght Hospital was supposed to be 350,000 but in reality it was closer to 500,000.

He said the hospital was unhappy with patients being left in corridors, but things were changing.

"There has been up to 59 patients in corridors in the past. This will never happen again as there is a cap of 25," he said.

it ok though now, a limited of 25 has been imposed...:rolleyes:


*some of the article has been snipped as it's not relevant to the point

Quazzie

Tullamore hospital has closed its Surgical department to all non-emergency operations for two months with all staff giving unpaid leave for the duration. The same applies to Portlaoise's outpatients department. At least the patients in the corridor are getting seen to.

MagicMarker

The A&E in Tallaght Hospital is a joke tbh.

jimthemental

Brilliant, sounds like someone went to the Smurfitt School.

iamwhoiam

MagicMarker wrote: »

The A&E in Tallaght Hospital is a joke tbh.

The management and running of it and the funding may well be a joke but most of the staff are amazing .The are run off their feet and struggling agains the tide all the time

oppenheimer1

Perhaps if the consultants didn't demand so much in wages there'd be more money for patient care...

JohnMarston

I think the main is...don't get sick

Amhran Nua

Anyone got any numbers on actual percentage staff reductions in these facilities over the last three years?

tayto lover

Drogheda and Cavan hospitals are very overcrowded and a disgrace.
People are dying without any dignity.
Shame on any Government that would allow this. Elderly people are seriously afraid of going into hospital with all the infections they risk. I know many of our Government ministers either go to private hospitals here or else go abroad. No slumming for the people who are responsible for the problems.

Captain Darling

Too many administrative gobsh1tes in the HSE spinning these worthless phrases whilst getting big bucks and getting their annual bonuses.

Fcuking disgusting phrase.

bonzodog2

They're linear wards.