Average emergency department wait was 11 hours in May

Atlantic Dawn · 15-06-2022 7:27pm #1

Better not break an arm or get in a car crash in the near future. It now takes on average 11 hours wait to be seen in an emergency department in a hospital in this country. Where is all the money in the health budget going? It's one of the best financed per head of population in the EU.

The average waiting time for patients accessing emergency departments last month was over 11 hours, new figures show.

Mercy University Hospital in Cork recorded an average wait time of 21.6 hours, the highest in the country.

Cork University Hospital was the second highest, where average wait times reached 19.6 hours.

https://www.rte.ie/news/2022/0615/1304871-ed-waiting-times/

https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.XPD.CHEX.PC.CD?locations=EU&most_recent_value_desc=true

Cluedo Monopoly · 15-06-2022 7:31pm

I saw that. The FFG fanboys will be along soon to tell you that we have one of the best health systems in the world. They promised to end the trolley and waiting list crisis many years ago but it gets worse year on year. Terrible working conditions for our healthcare workers who are leaving in droves. We have 3 previous health ministers in cabinet including a Taoiseach and Tanaiste and nobody seems to want to tackle the problem. Shameful.

freemickey · 15-06-2022 7:32pm

Let me get the crystal ball out to divine the government's response......

Like the airport and service industry disaster, they'll fast track an extra 50,000 non EU migrants into the country, hope that some of them might be medical staff, and don't wonder where they themselves will get medical treatment.

Don't fix what doesn't work. That's the saying, isn't it?

15-06-2022 7:34pm

I've spoken to a number of healthcare professionals working in A&E in this country, and they frequently complain about how GPs are referring too many people from surgeries to A&E when there are better avenues to treat certain conditions.

I can't speak for how true that may be, but that's what I've heard anecdotally.

Galwayguy35 · 15-06-2022 7:37pm

Yeah and thats not even touching on the waiting lists for surgery, 2 years and counting for me.

donaghs · 15-06-2022 8:05pm

With the money and “reforms” that went into our Healthcare system since the Celtic Tiger, was there ever any effort made to tackle A&E conditions? From experience and anecdotal experience, it seems to have gotten worse.

Deeec · 15-06-2022 8:20pm

I had the misfortune to have to visit A and E a few weeks ago with my elderly mum. We had a wait of 8 hours even though they didnt appear to be busy - very few patients in and out for the duration we were there. I would have hated to have been there on an actual busy day.

Mum more than likely had a bad infection ( referred from GP) which I said to the nurse in triage. I asked her should she take bloods at that stage and was told no she didnt need a blood test. After a wait of 3 hours she was examined in a cubicle. Doctor said he would to do blood test - came back half an hour later to do blood test and then we would have to wait a further 45 minutes for the result ( frustrating that the blood test wasnt done by the triage team as this would have ensured the blood results were there when she was examined). The cubicle we were in was right beside the nurses station and lets just say alot of banter and eating cake was going on and patients seemed to be just left there ignored - no hurry on staff at all. After 3 hours I disrupted their chat and asked was the blood results not back yet - they checked and low and behold they were back.

Some of delays are no doubt caused by volume of patients but inefficiency and lack of management in A & E departments is also a big issue.

Padre_Pio · 15-06-2022 8:26pm

A&E is basically useless once the day shift goes home.

They have a skeleton crew to pump you with painkillers until 8am.

The Mighty Quinn · 15-06-2022 8:29pm

I'm sure I'm just not seeing all the work behind the scenes but can also echo Deeecs comment above. I've had the misfortune a few times in the last 3 years to need to go to A&E, doc referrals each time. I see so many nursing staff and orderlies having a great oul time hanging about chatting about what they're watching on Netflix or scrolling through phones and back slapping and loud laughter etc, no urgency about it at all.

Now maybe you'll tell me that they can't magic up beds or consultants or xray machines or what have you, but the crowded nature of the department isn't mirrored visually by busy staff.

For what it's worth it was UHL.

L.Ball · 15-06-2022 8:59pm

I've been to A&E twice this year, first was my mother collapsing and splitting her head open, we waited 16 hours to be admitted, second time my brother collapsed from infection, 16 hours again, almost exactly the same amount of time, both times we were at the mercy of agency nurses who didn't know anything, and orderlies who were having just the best time, laughing loudly and joking into the early hours, and worst of all, doctors who said they would run tests that never materialized, when asking where the doctor when I got blank looks and "not my job I don't know". do not get sick in this country.

Galwayguy35 · 15-06-2022 9:02pm

Was in Galway A&E a few years ago, arrived there at 10pm and got out out at 9.30 the next morning.

It was after 3am before I was even called the first time to be looked at.

Noone dares criticise nurses who are all seen as Florence Nightengale back from the dead pushed to the limit every minute of their shift when the reality is patients are left waiting for hours while they are bladdering to each other especially at night in A&E.

Padre_Pio · 16-06-2022 1:36am

RE the staff taking their time; usually there's a bottleneck somewhere.

In my case there was no radiographer available, same with a good few other sprains and fractures in A&E with me. Doesn't matter if there were 5 or 50 nurses, no one was going anywhere without an x-ray. So we waited for 10 hours from 10 pm to 8 am for the day shift to start.

Strumms · 16-06-2022 1:45am

And our government thinks it’s wise to invite more pressure on those services in double quick time.

Flinty997 · 16-06-2022 2:15am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119208050#Comment_119208050

Problem with that is there is a chronic shortage of GPs. If people can't see a GP they will go to A&E.

https://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/ireland-not-far-from-major-catastrophe-due-to-gp-shortage-1209590.html

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/gp-shortages-are-affecting-tens-of-thousands-of-people-1.4801311

There simply too many people for too few services.

That like others have said any A&E I've ever been they don't seem busy.

16-06-2022 3:03am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119208050#Comment_119208050

The lack of general services availability, even privately in a lot of the country is the issue. I could really have done with having something lanced but none of the 5 GPs or 2 nurses in the surgery I go to are capable of it. So I would have had to ring, wait a week for an appointment (so issue would be gone), go to the doctor, wait 2 hours, see him, he'll refer me to the hospital and then who knows? Might be lucky to get out in time for work the next day. Similar with simple **** like steroid injections, I had to go to Dublin to a consultant who nipped out between surgeries (private) to do it. 150 quid plus travel and a half day off work for simple bloody injection.

Brucie Bonus · 16-06-2022 1:08pm

When we see the governments unwillingness to kick off slaintecare, its a little too convenient to lay the blame on the sick, anecdotally or not. Can't see someone willing to wait on average 11 hours for an ailment that can wait or to lay in a public corridor, if lucky enough to get a trolley.

dorothylives · 16-06-2022 3:47pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119208229#Comment_119208229

I've had very mixed experiences with that hospital for myself and my parents. The good staff are extremely good and very dedicated and there are a lot of them, there's a big cohort who are taking the piss and probably get away with it because they know they won't be fired as there's nobody to replace them.

Martina1991 · 16-06-2022 5:33pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119209287#Comment_119209287

Radiography is an on call service only. So usually only 1 person on site, and maybe one off site to be called in an emergency.

They don't have the staff to offer a full service at nights and weekends.

There are many injury units around the country for such cases. Not usually past 8pm, but at least they're open weekends.

Dyr · 16-06-2022 5:38pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119210758#Comment_119210758

ah yes, in a country that has a health care system that works and one that doesnt - The solution is to **** can the system that works 😂

Overheal · 16-06-2022 5:53pm

What's the shortage: infrastructure, tools, human resources? Funds?

The US is undergoing a decades in the making crisis of not enough doctors and nurses for adequate care. RN programs are cost prohibitive and seating is limited for those who want to enter the field. Covid coming along only exacerbated an already glaring problem, with burnout and early retirement throwing healthcare into additional chaos.

16-06-2022 6:22pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119212207#Comment_119212207

Most of the above. But we spend as much per person as the Brits do on their NHS which covers pretty much everything and a lot of prescriptions. Our public system basically covers critical care and for anything else it's a 2-5 year wait if they don't remove you from the list which they like to do sometimes. We also have things set up so that consultants get paid by the public system for less than full hours and are given use of facilities for their private work. So it's set up in a way that means it's beneficial for them to further run down what's left of the public system.

The state is spending close to €4k per capita on healthcare. If you actually want any kind of treatment and get insurance that'll be about €150 a month which will give you 50% rebate on spending in private settings. In the private system I've been waiting over a year for a consultant to let me give him €200+ to look at me for 5 seconds and book me in for a surgery. My sister was on a list for a year, moved to France, felt unwell, went to doctor, straight to hospital, scan, bloods, 2 referrals for the following week. Under €50 total and if she had already established residency it would be half again. So it's definitely possibly to have a functioning health system even in a country with a 35 hour working week. But as always, not in Ireland.

The Mighty Quinn · 17-06-2022 10:38am

https://www.rte.ie/news/2022/0617/1305394-hiqa-hospital-midwest/

More than 20% of people at UHL are waiting in excess of 24 hours at the emergency dept.

mohawk · 17-06-2022 11:05am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119214596#Comment_119214596

Before they made changes to hospitals in Ennis and Nenagh the hospital in Limerick was struggling big time. All the local radio stations and newspapers spend a huge amount of time highlighting the wait times and the fact the trolley numbers in the mid west are usually the highest in the country. You hear stories of people in their last days of life in hospital trolleys.

Unfortunately the TD’s in the Mid wast do nothing but pay it lip service.

_Kaiser_ · 17-06-2022 3:22pm

My personal "record" with A&E is 14 hours which is not at all pleasant on those metal chairs they have, after which I (politely) lost it and demanded to speak to someone. After that things started moving alright.

I'd echo the comments above though. Behind the waiting area, the staff are standing around, chatting and having the lols.. no rush, pressure or oversight that I could see.

It doesn't matter how many are in the waiting room either as you'll constantly be bumped if someone else arrives that they deem more in need - fine and fair in theory, but not when it leaves people sitting around for ridiculous lengths of time. You can't even get an estimate and leave for some food or whatever because you'll miss your (movable) "spot" on the list.

But as also said above, the "frontline heroes" are above reproach of course!

looksee · 17-06-2022 3:35pm

I am not going to dispute the numbers or argue other people's experiences, but this is mine.

I went to A&E in Waterford last Thursday midday. I was triaged within less than 5 minutes, I was on a trolley in a cubicle within another 5 minutes. I was there till 10pm, my problem was resolved. None of the time I was there was wasted, the issue was being progressed the whole time. The staff were excellent (with one possible exception, a young man not cut out for nursing I would say, but didn't create any problems) I have absolutely no complaints.

I have been through A&E numerous times over the past number of years, sometimes from an ambulance, other times driven in. On the whole I have had good experiences, not perfect every time, admittedly, but on balance no complaints.

Richard Hillman · 17-06-2022 3:48pm

My experiences of A&E have always been good. The OP mentioned that you wouldn't want to be in a car accident or have broken bones. From my experience if this happens, you'd be jumped right up the queue and be dealt with immediately.

It seems like a lot of people are there with minor incidents that can be pushed down the queue. Preferably GPs would deal with them but don't.

ELM327 · 17-06-2022 3:48pm

A couple of hours wait for a non life threatening condition in ED is par for the course IMO.

Our anger and frustration here is misdirected. We spend enough money on health per capita. The issue is we have too many middle management pen pushers and pay too much for medications. More money is not needed, but a reform is.

monkeybutter · 17-06-2022 4:00pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119216329#Comment_119216329

its not a couple of hours wait though is it

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119216325#Comment_119216325

Nope, if you are bleeding out, maybe they will, broken bones, sit there for 15 hours in agony in the middle of the day, on a quiet monday while no one else is admitted

Flinty997 · 17-06-2022 4:15pm

Last time I was in with a parent in was in the ER for 24hrs+ came in via ambulance.

Kids stuff has generally been a few hours. There's those Kids Urgent Care Centre which speed things up.

dorothylives · 17-06-2022 6:22pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119216212#Comment_119216212

It's also a major pain in the ass when you are an inpatient trying to get some rest at night and the staff are gathered around the nurses station making a racket with no attempt to keep the noise down. Last time I was in UL I was in a private room and was told I couldn't walk out of the ward after being discharged and that I'd need a porter to wheel me down to the main doors. 40 minutes after I'd told them what time I was being collected there wasn't just no porter, there were no staff at all that I could see or find.

I buzzed in the person collecting me and we left. I'd hate to have been pushing my call button in the bed if I'd urgently needed help. I hadn't had anything to eat since 8pm the night before my procedure and it was almost 2am the morning after my procedure before I got some tea and toast. There seemed to be only 1 nurse and a health care assistant on duty and the health care assistant wasn't much cop. That's not good and I don't believe that it's safe either.

Potential-Monke · 17-06-2022 10:50pm

Google is actually terrible these days, so I can't find what i'm looking for. Has anyone got a breakdown of what attends A&E? Like, car crashes, falls, etc? I'd be interested to see what is being treated there, as no doubt a lot of it doesn't actually require A&E. But I agree, doctors in the last few years are very quick to recommend going to a hospital.

I don't have a local doctor anymore. He's too full and can't fit me in, the next nearest is the same. I end up going into the Walk-In doc in the city whenever I need to. Doesn't work well for most people who need a consistent doctor for different reasons. Thankfully, being unsocial and working from home means I don't get sick anymore so all good anyway.

Still interested in the A&E breakdown though...

Average emergency department wait was 11 hours in May

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