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Deputy John Brassil.
FIANNA Fáil TD for Kerry John Brassil is warning of bed shortages and serious overcrowding at University Hospital Kerry this winter unless urgent steps are taken to tackle delayed discharges.
New figures released to Deputy Brassil reveal that so far this year 3,887 bed days have been lost at the hospital as a result of delayed discharges. That’s a 319% increase on 2017 figures.
Deputy Brassil said, “I have been warning about the situation in University Hospital Kerry for some time, but the Health Minister and the HSE have failed to take any meaningful action. Up until the end of October 3,887 bed days had been lost at the hospital, and that’s before the annual winter surge takes hold.
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“Today’s HSE winter plan, is not new. This is a rehashing of the funding already announced in the Budget. While money has been allocated to specifically focus on transitional care, it is coming very late in the day, when the problem is already extremely serious in Kerry.
“The only way to tackle this issue is a whole of health service approach. This needs to include home supports and step-down care in the community. Unfortunately, Fine Gael has ignored what we have been saying for years and has allowed the situation, particularly in Kerry, to spiral out of control before taking any meaningful steps to address the issues.
“Management at UHK says its working on a pilot programme to transfer patients from acute to community beds. However, the pilot is due to run for 8 weeks and hasn’t even begun yet. It will be after Christmas before we will know if its working.
“The lack of forward planning in health is astounding. The Minister is launching the winter plan in mid-November – is it any wonder the health service is in crisis?” concluded Deputy Brassil.
