Chronic GP shortage blamed for Mayo University Hospital overcrowding

THE incoming government is being urged to ‘grasp the nettle’ of overcrowding at Mayo University Hospital by creating a scheme that encourages GPs to practice in Mayo.

Trolley watch figures from the Irish Nurse and Midwives Association (INMO) show that 18 patients have been left without a bed in MUH this morning (Tuesday, January 7).

Independent Castlebar-based councillor Harry Barrett told The Mayo News that every weekend the Emergency Department of MUH is used as a ‘surrogate’ GP service because there are not enough GPs to provide a service in the county. He called on the incoming government to prioritise a scheme to ensure that it is attractive for GPs to move to Mayo and practice in rural communities.

“We are about 25 doctors short in Co Mayo and at the weekend the whole system grinds to a halt. The whole system relies on Westdoc for primary care and when that gets swamped everyone is to go to the Accident and Emergency unit. The main problem is the lack of primary care at the weekends, which leads to a big backlog, and on Monday and Tuesday will be bad in terms of trolleys.

“The Accident and Emergency Unit is used as surrogate GP cover at the weekend… We have to put a plan in place to make it sweet for them [GPs] to stay. Once we grasp the nettle of holding onto the GPs we educate, this will continue on. There is no other solution.

“It is no surprise we have a major problem with the Accident and Emergency [at MUH], but you could build another wing and you will still have the same problem until you deal with the lack of GP cover in the county. The solutions are there and I am blue in the face talking about it. The government knows this but they have done nothing to increase the GP numbers,” he said.

Makeshift beds

The previous week, on Monday, December 31, 37 patients were left on trolleys in Mayo University Hospital, with the number of cases of influenza and other respiratory diseases rising over the festive period. The wearing of face masks in MUH and other hospitals in the West and Northwest is now mandatory for everyone attending the Emergency Department.

Castlebar-based councillor Michael Kilcoyne, who is a member of the HSE Regional Health Forum, said he has heard of chairs being put together to act as makeshift beds for patients waiting to be seen. He said that the building of a new Emergency Department and ward is a number of years off, and he called on Mayo’s Government TDs to prioritise investment in the Castlebar hospital.

“For the last five years we have been promised an extension to the hospital’s A&E, but we are still waiting, and it could be another five years before it is eventually provided for. It is a very poor service for the people, and I don’t see it improving soon.

“The hospital should be a priority but at the end of the day I suppose it was not enough of a priority with the electorate at the recent general election. The Independents who will join Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in the next government will ensure the hospitals in their area are prioritised, and unfortunately, we don’t have any Independent in government from Mayo,” he said.

Infections rife

In light of the high number of patients on trolleys across the country, INMO General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha has called for an emergency national plan to deal with overcrowding.

“Nurses, midwives and other healthcare professionals are now working in unenviable circumstances in hospitals and community settings as they deal with chronic overcrowding in the middle of a widespread respiratory illness outbreak while national weather warnings are in place,” she said.

“It is inconceivable that we are once again talking about how high trolley figures are on the first Monday in January. This level of overcrowding when dealing with the level of flu and RSV that we have seen over the festive season was entirely predictable, but there has been no plan in place by the HSE and individual health regions to stem the worst of it.

“Our members want to be able to provide safe care to patients but also be assured that their own health and wellbeing is being protected – neither are guaranteed when they are working in overcrowded conditions where respiratory infections are rife.

“An emergency national plan is needed to deal with the escalating overcrowding problem in part of the country. It is frustrating for our members to see other parts of the public sector coming together so quickly to efficiently deal with the consequences of national weather warnings, yet they are left to deal with entirely predictable annual problems with no new solutions from their employer yet again.”