Beaumont’s emergency department ‘like a warzone’

Beaumont Hospital should go off-call "for an extended period" due to the dangerously high levels of overcrowding in the emergency department, the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO) says.

According to the INMO, there are currently 38 admitted patients waiting on trolleys and chairs in the hospital’s emergency department, with an additional 10 patients waiting on trolleys in non-patient designated areas.

The nurses' organisation is calling on the head of the RCSI hospital group to address this "chronic problem" which it says is putting both staff and patients at risk.

INMO industrial relations officer Lorraine Monaghan said overcrowding at the hospital had led to “inhumane conditions where patients are crammed together”, adding that the workload for staff had become unmanageable.

“There is no dignity or privacy for patients, it’s really like a warzone in there,” said Ms Monaghan.

“The hospital should have gone off call on Monday, the situation is completely chaotic.”

Overcrowding at Beaumont Hospital has increased over the past five weeks following the closure of 33 beds, with a 26 per cent increase in the number of patients left on trolleys during the first four months of 2015.

The INMO also reported a high level of delayed discharges over the past few weeks.

“The only way to manage this situation is for the hospital to go off call until the situation is brought under control,” Ms Monaghan said.

She said hospital management should advise patients to make alternative arrangements and to avoid going to Beaumont Hospital until a solution is found to deal with the overcrowding.

“The solution will not be found by placing additional beds on corridors and behind doors of wards that are already at full capacity. Rather management must reopen the recently closed 33 beds, gain access to additional community beds and the hospital needs to pull out all the stops to fill vacant nursing posts in the ED and throughout the hospital to ensure that patients are afforded safe care in a dignified environment during their stay in Beaumont Hospital.”

Beaumont Hospital responded to the INMO calls on Thursday, saying the situation was under continuous review.

“Beaumont Hospital regrets the difficult conditions experienced by patients and staff at its Emergency Department (ED),” a statement from the hospital said.

“ The ED has been extremely busy in recent days. The situation has been exasperated by the closure of a ward for essential refurbishment for transplant patients. All available beds have been opened and additional nursing home beds are expected to become available shortly.”