The current hospital / A&E crisis

Breezy_

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120082193#Comment_120082193

They won't even do that. This year they didn't even try. No fluff about winter plans yadda yadda. Fat pay check and another month on holiday.

kirk.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120082268#Comment_120082268

The out of hours wasn't funded or staffed don't know which

Effectively became useless round here , most not bothering with it

Doctors referring you to a+e for minor issues and then a nurse deals with it ,go figure

kirk.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120082316#Comment_120082316

Keep plugging the dole angle 😁

Cordell

I don't think suppressing the access to medical care is the solution, education and providing alternatives is.

Cordell

To be honest I don't think anyone likes spending 10 hours in the A&E for the craic and charging them a tenner will do nothing if the 10 hours wait does do anything either.

Deeec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120082323#Comment_120082323

Its about making people think before they use a medical service - even a small charge makes people think twice if they really need to go. If something is free it is always used and abused.

Breezy_

Just remove the cap on numbers of GPs. Its an artificial shortage.

Average GP get €210,000 a year for medical cards scheme alone.

Cordell

I'm one of those who is charged 100 for the A&E visit but it never meant anything, when I needed to get there I went there. The only deterrence were the miserable waiting times, and in my opinion if that doesn't turn you away nothing will.

One thing I will support is to bypass triage for people who were referred by the GP. They were already triaged.

Chiparus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120082407#Comment_120082407

Out of which they have to pay for the practice , including a receptionist , practice nurse etc.

Most GPs would be on a lot less than that.

Breezy_

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120082509#Comment_120082509

I see my GP on that list, does a 3.5 day week. He gets €300,000+. Not including private patients. I'm sure grants and tax deductablies go a long way to cover any expense you name.

No need for GP shortage. Caps should have been removed 20 years ago.

Breezy_

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120082532#Comment_120082532

Dentists the same. Another problem capped area. Could wait a week to see one.

And if you need a filling then you have to go get a second opinion as they just love drilling out peoples top teeth for a few extra 10 grand a year.

Dav010

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120082562#Comment_120082562

What “cap” are you referring to?

Goldengirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120082059#Comment_120082059

Agree.

Cluedo Monopoly

https://twitter.com/newschambers/status/1611359316350574592

The government are definitely in deflection mode.

Chiparus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120082532#Comment_120082532

Amazing he only does 3.5 days- missing on all that private work. Is it a single handed GP practice?

Atlantic Dawn

How does someone in their 70's go to hospital and end up on a trolley for 50+ hours? They shouldn't have been going to a hospital in the first place if they lasted that long with zero care.

Cordell

Being on a trolley doesn't mean they were without care, it usually means they were seen by the doctors and admitted but there were no proper beds available. If they actually were there for 50 hours without care then this is criminal level of bad healthcare.

Cluedo Monopoly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120084301#Comment_120084301

Who suggested zero care?

redlough

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120084301#Comment_120084301

Do you honestly think the doctors and nurses are not caring for the person? if they are on a trolley it means they don't have a room not that the HSE staff are not looking after them as best they can.

That is a terrible insult to the hard working people of the HSE, didn't take long for the people out with the faux clapping during covid to quickly turn their back on the doctors and nurses.

Cordell

Years ago I brought someone with a stroke to the A&E, they were seen quick enough, they got some medication immediately and they were seen by a consultant in maybe 2h. Then they spent a day on a trolley but they were fully cared for. The investigations were top class, they got xray CT scan and some vascular ultrasound all in one day. Fortunately they fully recovered.

Floppybits

This beds crisis in the hospitals wouldn't be an issue if the powers that be involved had of increased capacity in the hospitals inline with the increase in population and includes beds and staff on the frontline. They haven't done that and now we have been seeing the consequences of this lack of foresight with no just the Trolley crisis and A&E wait times but also staff leaving to work in better healthcare systems.

It seems in this country that we don't tackle problems early, try and nip it in the bub, but let them grow and grow until the become a crisis and then we end up flapping around to try and fix the problem. Same is happening with the Gardai with more people leaving than joining and I am sure there are other areas in Public Services with the same problems, it begs the question is there any planning going on and if there is then what is blocking the plans from being implemented? What are all these highly paid people in management in the Public services doing?

maninasia

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120070603#Comment_120070603

Given that a GP job is probably as cushy as it gets for docs, why aren't more entering the profession ?

Floppybits

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120081045#Comment_120081045

It is wrong because it will deter the people who need to go see a GP or go to A&E from going and could result in them suffering a serious illness. The thing is that if someone goes to see a GP and the GP thinks it serious enough to send them to A&E then they should go to A&E, if it wasn't serious enough but the person still needs to see a specialist then the GP will send off a letter requesting an appointment with the specialist in that area. If people are attending A&E and it is not serious then the consequence of that is they are going to be waiting a long time in A&E so if they are prepared to do it then that's their decision. People who have been through A&E and deemed serious enough to be admitted but are on a trolley because of bed capacity is another issue.

The issue as has been discussed on this thread is that there are no services that the public can go too except A&E. We have to get away from A&E being the dumping ground for everything medical and even mental conditions in this country.

kirk.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120085313#Comment_120085313

What makes you think that ?

GP would be recognised as a highly stressful job

Deeec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120085317#Comment_120085317

I take your point but in here now there are major issues. I agree that we need to get away A & E being the dumping ground. There are HUGE HUGE issues with GP appointments in certain parts of the country which is contributing to the problems in A & E. I have outlined many times in this thread that in my GP practice ( and many others), that if I am unwell today and ring my GP I will be given an appointment for some day next week - now that isnt much use to me if Im unwell now is it. So by the time that appointment comes around I am either better, worse, in hospital or dead. So if I really need medical attention my only options are to ring out of hours doctor service who is also under huge pressure given that nobody can get timely GP appointments in my area ( so this service is really of no use either). So my only option may be to go to A & E with an issue that probably could be dealt with by a GP thus clogging up A & E - So do you see the issue. The fact is I know people that had to attend A & E just to get prescribed anti biotics because they have no access to their GP.

Do you think it is reasonable that sick people cant actually get to see a GP? Do you think this is a good service?

The fact is that GPs do need help to deal with the problems they are facing - they are under huge pressure and cannot cope with the demand for their services. Do you honestly think GPs don't deal with timewasters and that every appointment is completely necessary? What is your solution?

maninasia

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120085338#Comment_120085338

Compared to hospital jobs would seem not to be.

Also part-time GP would be a stressful job?

Many don't do out calls. Don't do weekends. Don't do night shifts.

redlough

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120085489#Comment_120085489

Ahh they are all doing a few hours a week and then driving to their mansion in their BMW's 😂

You have no idea how stressful a GP job is, neither do I because I am not a GP. People love to go around telling everyone how stressful a job they have and how XYZ has it easy.

If a GP is such an easy job then train yourself up and become one.

Floppybits

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120085442#Comment_120085442

I am in the same boat, if I call the doctor for an appointment today I could be told it could be Thursday or Friday before I get to see them, so I understand the frustration. Even worse I am trying to get my daughter transferred to my and my wifes doctor and they said that is fine but it can't happen until the other GP transfers the records and god knows when that will be so trying to get an appointment for my daughter will be a nightmare. Before 2019 I could rock up to the surgery and I could wait to see the Dr now it is appointments only, which I don't mind. That still doesn't mean that people are told not to go see a GP or go to A&E unless absolutely necessary, who is to decide that? People go to see a Dr or to A&E if they are worried about something and need the reassurance that its not too serious but especially with cancers, which can start off as something small but if not treated early can escalate quickly and then as others have mentioned this causes further problems down the road in terms of accessing treatments. I know in the case of my father, he thought he had a stomach bug and didn't think he needed to go see a dr but it took the rest of my family to convince him to go to the Dr who said it was a stomach bug and gave him some tablets but it persisted, he went back and seen a standin Dr who sent him straight to A&E where he had to sit in a chair to be seen while destroying him and it turned out it was bowel cancer and weeks later he died. I'm not saying he would have survived if he went earlier but his life leading up to that point would have been a lot more comfortable if he had of gone sooner.

As I said I blame the government and by the government I don't mean just the politicians, even though they are a large part of the blame, but I include Public servants in that including those in the department of Health and the Management of the HSE. They have a huge budget but it seems as with a lot of public services in this country that the front line services are drip fed the money and have to fight for every penny while further up the chain there doesn't seem to be a problem. We need to make sure the money goes to front end services and not sucked up along way that when it does get to the services there are only pennies left.

maninasia

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120085847#Comment_120085847

If you dont know how stressful it is why are you telling me it is super stressful?

It seems it would be a lot less stressful than most healtcare staff in the hospitals doing shifts and weekends.

Goldengirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120086073#Comment_120086073

In that regard yes. But they have to manage their usual busy practices and are solely responsible for their patients ie noone to hand over to, except refer to casualty or consultants.

But in the meantime they are the first port of call. And unless they are very irresponsible, which I think you will find they don't usually go into the job if they are, they would be worried about patients and trying to see as many as possible.