Wexford ambulance officer and Independent Councillor Ger Carthy has revealed that 14 ambulances were waiting outside Wexford General Hospital at 5 p.m. yesterday evening (Thursday December 4th) highlighting the severe capacity issues at the facility.
Ger Carthy has worked with the National Ambulance Service for 24 years and he’s described the situation as unprecedented with some patients waiting for over seven hours in ambulances due to the lack of available beds.
The problem stems from a combination of factors, including over 40 patients waiting for admission and a shortage of GPs and out-of-hours care, which forces more people to rely on ambulances for non-emergency issues. Carthy is calling for immediate action to address the situation, urging the HSE to approve the installation of 20 temporary beds that were requested by Wexford General Hospital management but were refused.
With Wexford’s population steadily growing, the ambulance officer is emphasising the urgent need for expanded healthcare services and called on local politicians to take action.
“We need more capacity now,” he said. “The 97 beds planned for the future won’t solve today’s problems. It’s time to act before another crisis occurs.”
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**Update**
The HSE has since issued a response
HSE DSE Response:
The emergency department (ED) at Wexford General Hospital remains very busy with a high number of presentations and admissions. It is expected this pressure will continue over the coming days and we would urge the public to use alternative healthcare services for treatment such as GPs, GP Out of Hours or pharmacists where appropriate. But if patients are very sick and in an emergency situation they should come to the ED.
The HSE acknowledges that these delays are difficult for patients and apologises for the inconvenience delays may cause and that patients may have to wait for care during these very busy periods. The ED is always available to treat seriously ill patients, and the sickest patients are seen first. The hospital is currently advising that patients who attend its ED for routine and non-urgent treatment will experience longer waiting times.
All beds in the hospital are in use, and every effort is being made to manage patient flow to ensure patients who need to be admitted, are at the earliest opportunity. There are a high number of people presenting with flu and other respiratory illnesses while the hospital continues to manage an outbreak of flu, which is impacting some wards. Services at the hospital are not affected and visiting is being permitted. However, the hospital management is asking those visiting patients to adhere to the updated visitor guidelines.
Additional Information:
While patients are waiting placement in the ED, there is a collaborative care pathway between the HSE National Ambulance Service (NAS) and staff in the ED ensuring patients receive continuous monitoring throughout this period.
HSE NAS has deployed a Hospital Ambulance Liaison Supervisor and a cohorting paramedic to Wexford General Hospital today (Thursday, 4 December) to support the acceleration of the patient handover process. HSE NAS has also increased intermediate Care Vehicle Capacity to support hospital discharges.
