The CEO of the HSE has responded to the introduction of a HSE directive recently affecting University Hospital Kerry’s emergency department.
It’s believed that when there are 20 people or more people above what should be in the emergency department, these people must to be moved to wards.
Two of Kerry TDs have raised concerns about this, however the HSE CEO says the move is an attempt to deal with overcrowding safely.
Independent Kerry deputy Michael Healy-Rae says nurses and union representatives are very fearful of this directive, and believe it’s not in the best interest of patients, and could put them at risk.
Sinn Féin TD, Pa Daly, is also expressing concern, saying it allows emergency department patients to be moved into spaces that won’t be appropriate for their needs.
Deputy Healy-Rae wrote to the HSE CEO, Bernard Gloster about the matter, and Mr Gloster has now responded.
He says in 2015 a national protocol was introduced, allowing patients waiting on trolleys in EDs to be moved to different parts of the hospital, to ensure better patient safety.
Mr Gloster says some hospitals have relied on this protocol, more than others.
He noted there have been daily calls with hospital groups in recent weeks, and on December 31st he held a special call with two sites under particular pressure, including Kerry.
He visited UHK on January 4th, and this was his second visit in the past nine months.
There, he raised the use of this protocol, and asked management to consider this.
He advised it’d be good to set a threshold for when this protocol would be used, and that if they weren’t using it at times of pressure, then he’d have to ask why, given the direct connection to patient safety.
