Following on from
this thread
Please remain civil or posting privileges will be removed
No one knew whether they would be needed or not and had they been used for routine surgery and we had an overflow from public hospitals with nowhere to send them I don't for a second think you wouldn't be here complaining about that also.
The government did lots wrong during COVID - but I don't think securing emergency spare capacity was one of them.
To my knowledge they were never used for anything. 115 million a month.
I believe so, but not anywhere close to their full capacity no.
Had they been needed and the beds all taken by routine surgeries than plenty of people would have been complaining about that too though.
Were they ever used?
They were precautionary for the most part.
Reduce waiting lists for what exactly? Private hospitals a) cannot do whatever random surgeries we ask and b)aren't being kept open for covid patients if they are being used for routine surgery.
The deal with the private hospitals for additional capacity during Covid cost the taxpayer 115 million a month. Were they ever used? We didn't even use them to reduce waiting lists.
As said before, the doctors are slowly losing their innocence in the big bad macro world. Only a short time ago they were being depicted as heroes working in carnage zones and now it's get back into work on the weekend or else! And we can guess "or else" here means the Govmt will be forced to show their abundance of care by paying more out to the private hospitals and considering re-introducing restrictions on citizens. Still, at least all the front line staff got those massive 1k Covid bonuses, oh hang on, no they didn't...
Now if only the media-drunk scientists would also stop endlessly saving our lives. (Having said that, can't wait for Pat K return on Monday, he's going to be like the energizer bunny when he logs into the remote NT broadcasting closet in his spare bedroom with Luke O'Neill beside him. LOL!)
You're making no sense. Just trying to deflect.
The union and the opposition in the form of Roisin Shortall are in his changing-room? He must be in the wrong one, but if you are with them, you are on a loser.
Health system an 'endless cycle of crisis' - IMO (rte.ie)
Health system an 'endless cycle of crisis' - IMO
The Irish Medical Organisation has claimed the core issue with the health system is the "lack of physical capacity in terms of beds" and the "chronic shortage" in the number of consultants available.
It comes after Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly yesterday said that overcrowding in hospitals could get worse, and that the HSE is to call on senior medical staff, such as consultants, to come in at weekends for the next few weeks to help alleviate the situation.
His comments have been criticised by the IMO in a statement that said "consultants are routinely working far in excess of 'normal' working hours in addition to providing on call services 24 hours a day, seven days a week and providing structured weekend shifts".
Professor Matthew Sadlier of the IMO Consultant Committee said health services are in "an endless cycle of crisis due to insufficient capital investment and inability to retain or recruit medical staff".
...
Speaking on RTÉ's Drivetime yesterday evening, Ms Shortall said it was "the worst emergency we've ever had in this country in terms of our health service" and it was "entirely predictable".
No additional beds in northwest in three years.
The Chief Executive the Saolta Hospital Group, which includes six hospitals in the northwest and west, has said the group has not received any additional beds in the last three years.
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Donnelly has completely lost the dressing room. Zero respect.
Wow the Board members of HIQA and their past achievements wouldn't give one great confidence
I wonder what's going on. On wait...
Hospital denies ‘hiding’ patients on trolleys for Taoiseach’s visit – The Irish Times
Saolta University Health Care Group has denied that patients on trolleys in University Hospital Galway's emergency department were "hidden" for the visit of Taoiseach Leo Varadkar last week.
According to figures from the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), there were 42 patients on trolleys on Tuesday, 58 on Wednesday, but just 26 on Thursday for Mr Varadkar’s visit. The figure rose again to 36 on Friday.
Independent TD Catherine Connolly, who was at the hospital on Thursday, said it was “a miracle” that the numbers dropped for Mr Varadkar’s visit.
The exchequer saw a SURPLUS of 5 Billion euros in 2022. How many affordable houses could be built with that!
Is it not the case that the new build 96 bed unit is not going to result in an additional 96 beds as a number of beds in the old part of the hospital will be taken out of use. I can't find the article on it right now but I seem to recall about 40 beds will be removed.
Edit: only 48 additional beds as 48 old beds will be taken out of use.
https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/munster/arid-40946270.html
In my post that you've quoted I mentioned that trolley watch began in 2004. Why are beds not in place yet?
What is the completion date for the 96 beds in your link? The story doesn't have that detail.
Also it is disingenuous to say that a hospital is "being built" when it is only at pre planning and may or may not go ahead. The National Children's Hospital is being built.
Waterford not having patients on trolleys isn't solely due to extra beds - https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/munster/arid-41032109.html
The Waterford solution - extra beds - is on its way for Limerick. There is also a private 150-bed hospital being built.
Credit? For having a bed for a sick person? Wow you really want the bar set low...
A crisis for the health system in Germany is when they are nearly running out of beds. In Ireland a crisis is when nearly 1,000 people are waiting for a bed. Sums it up really.
Are you giving the HSE credit for Waterford?
See a pattern? Or is it all FFG's fault?
https://www.helsinkitimes.fi/finland/finland-news/domestic/22187-two-finnish-hospital-districts-call-for-injunction-on-strikes-at-icus.html
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/481086/as-hospitals-fill-with-covid-19-patients-surgeon-warns-against-driving-stupid
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/jan/03/daniel-andrews-calls-for-reforms-to-australias-broken-primary-care-system
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/world/german-hospitals-on-the-brink-due-to-rise-in-viral-infections/2767477
https://lenews.ch/2022/12/09/swiss-hospitals-postponing-non-urgent-operations/
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/01/03/nhs-winter-crisis-patients-sleeping-cars-ambulance-delays/
https://www.thelocal.it/20221213/italys-hospitals-pushed-to-their-limits-by-covid-and-flu-cases/
The INMO started their trolley watch in 2004. When will it be tackled?
Forget international news. If we look closer to home there was a hospital with zero patients on trolleys today. Why can't UHL replicate what's going on in Waterford?
https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/els-2021-867-en/index.html
No mistake, Irelands health outcomes are good in comparison OECD standards, similar to Sweden, france, Norway and Belgium and ahead of UK, Finland, Portugal, Iceland etc.
Austria, Luxembourg and Germany fare better however.
If you watch any international news at all, you will see a significant wave of hospitalizations due to flu and Covid in combination, has hit Europe in recent weeks. Healthcare staff in Denmark are out on strike, so too in France. This is a demographic phenomenon that all european governments will need to tackle.
The current situation highlights how essential lockdowns were pre-vacvination too.
