Whitney Tiny Skit wrote: » Having sat in A&E with someone for 8 hours today (they have a serious condition and were sent in by their GP with a letter) and then the nurses telling the person that they won't be seen for at least another 8 hours...I am BAFFLED as to how this system works!!!!! People seem to be marching in on front of the person I am with and getting seen to. We have asked where in the queue my relative is and we are told they are not going to be seen for hours and hours. And yet,...a group of clearly drunk people have come in..saw a family they are clearly feuding with and a bit of hassle started. And all of a sudden they are whisked away into the treatment rooms. Seems to me that if you cause trouble you will get seen to quicker. The whole system is a shambles. Yes I know it's busy in there, understaffed etc...but my relative is seriously sick and in need of urgent treatment and it's going to be 'hours and hours' more before they are seen to. He is exhausted and all he has is a plastic chair to sit on in the middle of the A&E waiting room for the past 8 hours and for another 8 hours too by the sounds of it. Is A&E always like this???......is this just UCHG or a usual thing with hospitals???? I'm gobsmacked...it's just 3rd world carry on here....
ben.schlomo wrote: » Im not trying to be smart now but if they are that bad surely they are going to be seen soon and if not would you not just kick up a grand stink and make they be seen if thats how it does work up there, feel sorry for you stuck up there.
BhoscaCapall wrote: » Cause some trouble then.
confusedquark wrote: » Sorry to hear about your experience, hope your relative is ok. Yes, the system is a shambles, it's very much a staffing and capacity issue. I've worked in the A&E in Mullingar, and assume UCHG works much the same. Patients are triaged in categories 1-5 depending on how serious the triage nurse considers their problem to be. Category 1's are medical emergencies, such as cardiac arrests and heart attacks, that usually come in via ambulances. Category 2's are life-threatening conditions, such as chest pains, possible strokes, severe shortness of breath, etc. Category 3 patients can still be very unwell, but are deemed to have something not acutely life threatening, e.g. chest infection, abdominal pain. Category 4 patients tend to be well, but have something relatively minor, such as a finger injury. Category 5 then tend to be people who probably shouldn't be in A&E. So, when somebody comes in, they're triaged and put into a certain category, and people in the categories above them will be given priority, even if they come in later. It's ridiculous that drunk people and trouble-makers have to be accommodated above people who fit into higher categories, but unfortunately that's a security issue and it's not safe to leave those people in the waiting area with others, and it's also not safe/moral to kick them out of A&E when they still need to be seen. Depending on how busy A&E is, you could have several people in who are Category 2, and they'll all have to be seen before you can get to the Category 3 patients, and then there could already be 10 Category 3 patients ahead of you in the queue, and then more Category 2 patients could come in in between. Thankfully there aren't too many Category 1 emergencies, but when there are, everything gets held up further. I'm not sure how well UCHG is staffed, but there are often are only 2 or 3 A&E doctors working, and it can take a good half an hour to assess a patient properly, and then the need to do bloods, request x-rays, chase up on the results, and start treatment etc. With the A&E doctor staffing crisis, many posts are left unfilled, and replacement locums aren't always available (for one reason or another). Being even one doctor short has a huge impact on waiting times. Unfortunately with all the cut-backs and talk of the hospital expenditure bills, things aren't going to get better. But it's not for lack of trying on the part of the doctors and nurses.
snubbleste wrote: » You do realise you always have the option of going to a private hospital? This will cost money. http://www.galwayclinic.ie/accidents-emergency Cllr P Conneely is chairperson of the HSE West board and vaunts this position on local wireless broadcasts. He is your paid elected public representative, maybe telephone him and moan at him about the state of affairs. Invite him down to the A&E. As for your original query, contact the HSE and ask them: Can someone please explain the workings of A&E UCHG please?http://www.hse.ie/eng/services/ysys/Tell_us_your_story/Complaint/
Whitney Tiny Skit wrote: » There appears to be a charge of €100 or thereabouts to stop people just waltzing in off the street but I can say with certainty and from observing the reception desk that not all people were referred from their GP.
inisboffin wrote: » What's the story with The Reigional? Can you try the A and E there? They seem to be a bit quicker- just basing it on friends and neighbours' stories. Is it to do with what area they serve?
Shakti wrote: » Merlin Park? it has no A&E, But the out-patients clinic is head and shoulders above UCHG plus they don't exploit your situation on the parking.
inisboffin wrote: » A neighbour fell recently and went over to get an x-ray on his leg. Assumed that was a and e, but could it have been outpatients?
Wompa1 wrote: » It's apparently better than it has been.http://www.galwaynews.ie/29492-no-trolleys-uhg-and-portiuncula-line-national-trend
Whitney Tiny Skit wrote: » Didn't realise that some people are exempt from the €100 charge and don't see why it isn't applied to all. Might stop the influx of all the people who appear to be clogging up A&E unnecessarily. Afterall....if they are sick enough to be admitted they get the €100 back, or can claim it back at least. If they are not sick enough to be in A&E then they lose the €100 and it might make them go to their GP next time...where they get free treatment anyway. Makes more sense.
Whitney Tiny Skit wrote: » Anyway, bottom line is- WHO MANAGES A&E and lets it operate with insufficient staff levels???????
confusedquark wrote: » Can't argue with that. It's the A&E Consultant and Head-nurse's responsibility to oversee the running of A&E. They have limited control over staff numbers though - they can only tell the Manpower/Human Resources department of the situation, and then it's their responsibility to organise a locum if doctors/nurses are short. If there's a full quota of doctors/nurses working and there are still long delays - it's up to the hospital management and HSE to figure out why, whether it's a bed problem on the wards, or a one-off unusually busy night, or whether they need to consider increasing the number of staff employed to cope with the demand.
confusedquark wrote: » Yeah, am a GP Trainee, so have worked in a fair few hospitals along the way.