Hospital crisis

Friday 23rd January 2009, 3:00PM GMT.

THE bed crisis at the General Hospital reached a new peak yesterday when GPs were urged to treat all but the most seriously ill at home.

On several days this week, every single bed has been occupied, with the number of Islanders suffering winter flu and chest infections reaching near-epidemic proportions. It has been revealed that staff have been struggling to cope with, on average, 40 more emergency admissions than expected at this time of year.

And as the system creaks under the strain, patients have been left waiting for hours on trolleys until ward space becomes available and operations have been cancelled. Others, it has been alleged, have been discharged prematurely in a bid to free up beds, only to be readmitted because their condition has deteriorated.

As reported earlier this week, the problem is being severely compounded by very high levels of staff sickness.
Health said this morning that abnormal levels of respiratory and gastric illness among doctors and nurses had prompted the move to urge community-based doctors only to send the most serious cases to hospital.

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1
P Lee

January 23, 2009 at 3:15 pm

Well they wanted to increase the population by 500 was it, a year. Pity they did not think about the need for more hopsital beds. Cunning plan

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2
Mr poorly

January 23, 2009 at 5:23 pm

As someone suffering from a critical illness who spends a lot of time at the hospital I really feel for the staff. They work long hours, often work late for free and struggle with an underfunded system managed by bean counters who know nothing about patient care.

This problem is symptomatic of that lack of investment – then again no one wants to pay more tax and something’s got to give.

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