Care chaos grips Dublin hospitals

More than 100 hospital beds in Dublin are being occupied by patients who have already been medically discharged but cannot leave due to a lack of community care options, according to newly released HSE data.

Local Aontú councillor Ellen Troy has slammed the situation as “completely unacceptable” and is demanding urgent action from the Minister for Health and the HSE.

She said 105 patients across Dublin are currently stuck in hospital despite being fit to go home, with the main cause being a shortage of home care packages and nursing home places.

“This is a completely unacceptable situation,” said Cllr Troy. “The main issue seems to be the shortage of nursing home beds and home help hours. Without an adequate homecare package in place, many of these patients have no choice but to remain in hospital despite having been deemed fit for discharge.

“It is nonsensical. Many of these people are elderly and are enduring sleepless nights due to the chaos of the hospital wards and they desperately want to go home.”

The figures emerged following a Parliamentary Question from Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín. In its response, the HSE outlined that a patient is deemed ready to leave inpatient care only when three conditions are met: a clinical decision has confirmed the patient is medically fit for discharge, a multidisciplinary team has agreed the patient is ready to return home or move to another care setting, and the patient is considered safe to be discharged.

Despite meeting all three criteria, many of these patients remain in acute hospital beds because the appropriate supports simply are not in place.

In its response, the HSE admitted that “there are a number of possible reasons why a patient may not leave an acute setting despite being clinically discharged.

“These can include patients who are awaiting arrangement of suitable home support or residential care and patients with complex clinical needs or legally complex circumstances.”

Cllr Troy believes the current over-reliance on private providers is contributing to the problem and has called for a new approach.

“Aontú is calling on the Minister for Health and the HSE to recruit homecare workers directly themselves if the private providers of homecare are letting them down,” she said.

“It would be in their economic interest to do so because they would actually save money if they provided a homecare service themselves, rather than paying extra to private for-profit providers who are obviously failing to meet the capacity that is necessary.”

She warned that the failure to provide basic aftercare services is putting immense pressure on hospitals already struggling with capacity.

“Our population is increasing in Ireland and our population is aging, but it seems to me that not enough thought and planning has gone into the extra capacity that is needed to ensure our old people have care in their homes and have nursing home beds if desired,” she said.

“We have people on trolleys in Dublin hospitals as they cannot get a bed, and meanwhile we have 105 patients in Dublin who have been clinically discharged but are still occupying hospital beds. This is completely unacceptable.”

Cllr Troy said the issue is not just one of mismanagement but a direct risk to patient safety.

“The ongoing mismanagement of our health service is creating a threat to life for our most vulnerable.

“Investment, capacity and staffing levels in our hospitals need to be linked to population increase.”