HSE must reopen hospital beds now

The HSE must reopen hospital beds now as those working on the ground in hospitals warn that patients lives are being put at risk due to the unprecedented levels of patients left waiting on trolleys. The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation issued the warning this week after it emerged 30 patients were left waiting on hospital trolleys at the Midlands Regional Hospital Mullingar, while a further 16 were left on trolleys in Portiuncula Hospital Ballinasloe. Since July last year when the HSE implemented 'summer bed closures', which were scheduled to last six weeks during what the HSE said was an annually quiet time for hospitals, the hospitals in the midlands have seen large increases in the numbers of patients left waiting for treatment on trolleys. As the flu season set in the number of patients left on trolleys has spiralled, with a record high of 30 patients waiting on trolleys in Mullingar on Monday. And while the fact that these patients are left waiting on trolleys with no dignity and no privacy in a time after such an economic boom is appalling, what is even more worrying is that those on the ground genuinely believe that this failure to reopen beds is endangering the lives of patients and is also dangerous for staff who are over-worked and over-stretched. What is even more worrying is the fact that the INMO has pointed out that at the Midlands Regional Hospital Mullingar A&E patients are being moved to a newly opened observation ward and also to beds in the day ward. This is masking the problem somewhat in reducing the actual numbers of those on trolleys, but it creates its own problems in that it increases the risk of spread of infection. The nursing union also claimed that staff are being put under pressure to release patients as early as possible, something that is surely cause for concern. While the Government must try to address its deficit, it must prioritise its spending and one area that is certainly in need of extra funding is the health sector. It's time the HSE moved to address the problem and the first step is to reopen beds in hospitals where they are clearly needed. Leaving 30 people who are sick and in need of medical care waiting on trolleys in hospitals in this day and age is completely unacceptable and should not be allowed to happen. We all know what it's like to feel under the weather, when all you want is the comfort of your bed. But if you are sick enough to need treatment at a hospital the last thing you want is to be left waiting on a trolley, with no privacy and no dignity. This cannot be allowed to happen, it's time we sent out a clear message to the HSE - reopen the hospital beds now.