Kerry hospital tells patients not to overstay as it leads to overcrowding

HSE South West launched a new awareness campaign called ‘Caring for Kerry’ to ‘empower the public’ to play their part by protecting capacity levels at UHK.

The public is asked to be aware of pathway healthcare options and emergency department alternatives, and that overstaying at UHK causes overcrowding.

It adds that admittance to UHK is ‘always for the shortest time possible’, and that planning for discharge is underway as soon as a patient is admitted.

The HSE manager for Kerry, Julie O’Neill, said healthcare services in the county are particularly busy at winter.

“We know that wait times at the emergency department in UHK are longer than anyone wants. We are working hard to improve this and we need the people of Kerry to help our HSE South West frontline healthcare teams,” she said.

Ms O’Neill asked people to think about how they use the emergency department ‘appropriately’ and the need for awareness of the impact overstaying has on overcrowding. She said every hour in a bed at UHK is a precious resource.

“When someone does not move on from a bed at UHK, when that phase of their treatment is finished, it means that someone else could face a delay in their care,” Ms O’Neill said.

She explained that UHK is proud of the care provided but ‘does not and should not provide’ residential care.

“When someone is finished the acute phase of their healthcare treatment it is important that we support them to move to their next placement as soon as possible. This is not just in their best interests; it is also in the interests of anyone waiting to access care at UHK,” Ms O’Neill added.

However, Sinn Féin Councillor Deirdre Ferris took issue with tone of the language used in the HSE advisory.

She said while the concept of the initiative is good, parts of the messaging are ‘insulting and disrespectful’ to the people who have no choice but to remain in hospital beyond their acute medical needs care.

Cllr Ferris said the HSE’s message was effectively blaming patients for having no where safe to go.

She stated that it us unfair to expect people to accept an unsafe discharge to a home with no supports, no essential modifications, no care package available and, in some cases, no community HCA’s in place.

Cllr Ferris described the HSE’s initiative as ‘service centred’ rather than patient centred.

“We have lost the human element of all this. We’re looking at figures, we’re looking at numbers and we’re not considering the patient,” she told The Kerryman.

Cllr Ferris cited examples of elderly constituents with profound medical needs being discharged from hospital to homes that are ill suited to their medical needs. In some cases, their care is entrusted to an elderly spouse or sibling.

“First of all, it’s highly dangerous to remain in an acute healthcare facility when you are actually well as it’s more dangerous to a patient due to flu, viruses, and infections,” she said.

Cllr Ferris added that there are 52 acute beds available that are not being utilised in Killarney, while Dingle Hospital has a closed ward with a capacity for a further 22 more beds.

“The options are just not there for many patients. It’s farcical. I have had many calls from people who are concerned because their parents or sibling is being sent home without home help being arranged, or cases where homes haven’t even been assessed to see if they are suitable,” she said.

“It mentions specifically in the HSE statement that from the time patients are admitted they are already looking at discharge options. Why are care packages taking weeks upon weeks to get resolved? You have to have viable options for people. Nobody is being admitted who does not require acute care. That’s the reality of the situation.”

Cllr Ferris said the clinicians are making the best possible care choices for discharging patients. However, they are unaware of the living condition of the patients and their needs.

“In some of our older properties the doors are not wide enough to suit a hoist. Many homes have carpets and a hoist cannot be used on carpets. We talk about patient centred care, there was nothing patient centred about this statement: it was service centred,” Cllr Ferris added.

HSE South West urges the public to follow its social media channels for all the latest updates relating to the campaign and the delivery of health and social care in Kerry.