A&E departments crammed to capacity,whats Leo going to do now?

Interesting.

How do you know if you're on someone's ignore list btw?
To clarify, he didn't like my use of the phrase "Bearded Brethren" to describe Union leaders. I told him that I would stop using it but I forgot and used it again. That was the last straw, as it were.
 
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Purple,

Your summary is excellent. The situation obtains because we are too passive and have put up with this rubbish system for too long. Myself included!

A Health Minister by himself or herself cannot solve this.

You know, during the 5 hours + in A & E, I was thinking that who I wasn’t going to complain to wouldn’t be worth talking about! A few weeks on and I’ve calmed down!

However, I don’t think I am going to let this go.

I can write to the Health Minister and the VHI, but would it also fall within the remit of hospital administrators to monitor A & E traffic and set up a structure to take action about unnecessary referrals?
 
There was a time when I might have agreed.

However, over Christmas I spent 5 hours in A & E with a relative before he was eventually seen by a doctor.

The relative had an infected cyst which needed to be drained. We first went to the local pharmacy, which told him to go to his GP.

The GP would not touch it; neither would the doctor in the VHI Swiftcare clinic. So we had nowhere else to go except A & E, even though we tried everything to avoid it.

My relative was mortified, sitting among relatives and friends of people who had suffered strokes, heart attacks, really serious injuries, etc., and when eventually seen, apologized profusely to the doctor for presenting in A & E with such a comparatively trivial complaint. The doctor was excellent and very kind, a complete gentleman. The procedure took about 40 minutes.

In reply to our questions, the doctor said that this could have been handled by either the GP or the VHI Swiftcare clinic, but it depended on the competence and experience of the doctor. He also said that the length of the procedure might deter some GPs as they could see several patients during that period.

Also, the triage nurse, whom we saw first, seemed to be sick and tired of patients being foisted on A & E, in particular by VHI Swiftcare clinics, with complaints they should be able to handle themselves and in addition charging patients €75 for the privilege of doing nothing other than writing a letter of referral.

Probably the most relevant post on the subject on this thread. But, it points to one major cause why A&E's are busy. Add in the drug abusers and alcohol abusers that are foisted on the A&E service every night taking up valuable time of professional health care people. When the abusers sober up towards daylight most usually just walk out of the hospital and have no notion of paying anything. The hospital system is a tolerant (and even sypathetic) system, it's bursting at the seams and nobody will cry halt.
 
Hi Leper,
I agree with you but what's the solution? I don't believe that it is to throw more money at it.
If we need to spend more as part of a concrete solution then I'm all for it but not as things stand.

If you has a pension fund and your fund manager consistently screwed things up would you find it acceptable to contribute more and more to the fund just to stay on track with your neighbours funds or would you seek to ensure you got a better return on your investment?
 
Purple, There is no problem that cannot be solved. But, to solve fully the problems of Ireland's health service it would be immediate political suicide for any political party. And whether we like it or not political support is required to correct what has been let happen to the health service. I'm not going to throw my tuppenceworth in here because drastic problems need drastic solutions and even when viable solutions are offered there is the You-can't-touch-the-whatever brigade thereby ensuring nothing happens and the like of us offering suggestions on the forum would be branded with every taint possible and a firing squad despatched to take us out of the equation.
 
To clarify, he didn't like my use of the phrase "Bearded Brethren" to describe Union leaders. I told him that I would stop using it but I forgot and used it again. That was the last straw, as it were.
Ah! shucks Purple, I don't think Déise Blue has anything (personally) against you. You are entitled to your views, but you keep harping away at the unions on every post that will accept your print. Would it not be better for you (or anybody else) to set up a thread and call it "The Case Against Trades Unions" and the argument can then be hammered out separately and squarely?

I promise although we occupy the same square but move in different circles, I won't eliminate you from my Christmas Card Mailing List.
 
Thanks Leper, nice to see grown ups who can stand adult debate.

I suppose the reason I don't confine my distain for Unions to one thread is the same as other posters don't confine their distain for the government to one thread; they are part of so much of the problem.
 
Thanks Leper, nice to see grown ups who can stand adult debate.

I suppose the reason I don't confine my distain for Unions to one thread is the same as other posters don't confine their distain for the government to one thread; they are part of so much of the problem.
I think it fair to say that we use this kind of media mainly for some fun (although some posters get a bit heated occasionally, me included). I do not speak for Déise, but I agree with much of what he says. Furthermore, I have a love for Waterford having lived there years ago.

In case you think I'm going soft, I hardly agree with any of your trades union bashing, but I accept your right to vent accordingly. Also, I know you give me some respect (and I know you're not going soft either) and when my use of the forum was curtailed by you-know-who some time ago you gave me an email of your concern. I think it was a four month curtailment and I added a further eight months self curtailment, just to keep up my leprous pride. Lepers can be proud, you know.
 
Isn't it a little strange that hospitals whose A&E departments weren't overcrowded when all this hit the headlines have been eerily quiet since? Suddenly all those must visit A&E cases have gone to their doctors, or taken a paracetamol.
 
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Isn't it a little strange that hospitals whose A&E departments weren't overcrowded when all this hit the headlines have been eerily quiet since? Suddenly all those must visit A&E cases have gone to their doctors, or taken a paracetamol.
Agreed. The GP's might actually be doing their job properly and treating people rather than referring them to A&E.
 
An email to Newstalk (I think it was) yesterday from a nurse said the NY annual surge was as much down to the Hospital shut downs for 2 weeks over xmas as anything else. All take holidays and only minimal cover is in place, all Working groups meet in mid December and then don't meet up again until mid-January. Thought it was an interesting point.
 
It seems that the tail is wagging the dog in the health service yet again. An A&E consultant on the news the other night was asking the nurses to allow an extra bed be added to wards to alleviate pressure in A&E and then the Minister said the same thing the next day. Why are Nurses dictating this, why aren't management insisting on it?
 
It seems that the tail is wagging the dog in the health service yet again. An A&E consultant on the news the other night was asking the nurses to allow an extra bed be added to wards to alleviate pressure in A&E and then the Minister said the same thing the next day. Why are Nurses dictating this, why aren't management insisting on it?
Good question!
Does Liam Doran make the decisions? If it’s not him then who is it?
Why don’t we know the name of the person in charge of each Hospital? Why are they not on the news? Indeed, is there such a person?
 
I saw on the news today that social workers are resigning at a rate of one per week. The representative questioned, can't remember his name, mentioned putting forward a proposal to introduce an exit interview process! Just bleedin ask them!!!!!
 
It seems that the tail is wagging the dog in the health service yet again. An A&E consultant on the news the other night was asking the nurses to allow an extra bed be added to wards to alleviate pressure in A&E and then the Minister said the same thing the next day. Why are Nurses dictating this, why aren't management insisting on it?

I think you may be wrong , current union/ management agreements mean that under extreme circumstances an additional bed is permitted , however what Management are currently seeking is an unprecedented 2nd extra bed which causes huge pressures on staff - such is the pressure that staff in Beaumont are currently voting on a work to rule policy .

And yes Leo has to request the INMO for permission to install a 2nd additional bed as the mutually agreed management/union terms does not allow for a unilaterally enforced change to such terms.
 
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I think you may be wrong , current union/ management agreements mean that under extreme circumstances an additional bed is permitted , however what Management are currently seeking is an unprecedented 2nd extra bed which causes huge pressures on staff - such is the pressure that staff in Beaumont are currently voting on a work to rule policy .
In other words they have to ask the nurses...
 
I think you may be wrong , current union/ management agreements mean that under extreme circumstances an additional bed is permitted , however what Management are currently seeking is an unprecedented 2nd extra bed which causes huge pressures on staff - such is the pressure that staff in Beaumont are currently voting on a work to rule policy .

And yes Leo has to request the INMO for permission to install a 2nd additional bed as the mutually agreed management/union terms does not allow for a unilaterally enforced change to such terms.

So what part of what I stated is wrong? Basically the Nurses in the wards are deliberately making life more difficult than necessary for their colleagues in A&E and for the patients and families of patients sitting on trolleys. Surely as a temporary measure this should be allowed?
 
An additional bed ( it is this bed that I thought you were referring to ) is allowed under the extreme conditions that pertain at the moment , due to the difficulties that the introduction of an additional 2nd bed both management & unions have reached an agreement that a 2nd bed is not viable.

This remains the position of the INMO & management are constrained by the terms of the mutual agreement .
 
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