The Health Minister's explanation for reduced overcrowding in hospitals has been called into question by various health experts.
Earlier today, Minister Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said that seven-day rosters for consultants have helped reduce overcrowding in hospitals.
230 patients were on trolleys in emergency departments following St Patrick's Day, down from 617 following the St Brigid's weekend in February.
The Minister said the lower numbers were due to more senior medical staff being rostered to work over the weekend.
However, retired orthopaedic surgeon Peter O'Rourke told The Hard Shoulder that he thinks procedures were cancelled to free-up bed spaces.
“The only way you can have less patients in the hospital is if you admit less patients in the week before,” he said.
“I’m quite sure that a vast number of surgical cases were cancelled towards the end of last week to make sure that beds would be available for emergencies.
“This is the only reason that there wasn’t as much pressure in the emergency departments – if you don’t have patients in the beds, they are available for emergencies.”
A busy hospital. Image: AlamyDr O’Rourke said the reasons for improvements are inaccurate.
“Emergency department consultants do not admit people to hospitals, that’s only hospital consultants that can admit people to hospitals, so having them on the ground doesn’t make any difference,” he said.
“I doubt that there was many extra hospital consultants with admission privileges actually in hospitals for the weekend.
“So I don’t think the reasons that are being given for the improvement are actually accurate.”
University Hospital Limerick, © PA Archive/PA ImagesThe Irish Medical Organisation’s Consultants Committee Chair Professor Matthew Sadlier doesn't believe the only issue to be addressed is the availability of consultants at the weekend.
“We have to have a bigger talk about this and essentially my core point is that this is not all about consultants and senior decision makers,” he said.
“We need a whole of hospital approach and we need a whole of the Health Service approach.”
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Crowded hospital. Image: Lankowsky / Alamy Stock Photo
