Downe short of beds says MLA

Downe short of beds says MLA

26 March 2014

HEALTH Minister Edwin Poots has been asked to review the number of beds at the Downe Hospital amid claims by a local MLA that there are not enough to meet demand.

Chris Hazzard called for the review after it emerged that the family of an elderly lady initially treated at the Ulster Hospital was told she could not move back to Downpatrick for recuperation as no beds were available.

At the start of the year, the South Eastern Trust temporarily axed weekend and early evening A&E services at the Downe Hospital, blaming its decision on a shortage of middle grade doctors.

Mr. Hazzard said he’s concerned that as a result of the reduction in local A&E provision, additional beds were opened at the Lagan Valley Hospital in Lisburn, but no plans were made for opening extra beds at the Downe.

The MLA said he’s in no doubt that the 49 beds available at the Downe are not enough to cope with demand, in particular, to cater for local patients treated at other hospitals who want to be transferred back to Downpatrick.

“The elderly patient’s family wanted her repatriated from the Ulster to the Downe but were told there were no available beds in Downpatrick,” continued Mr. Hazzard.

“I have also discovered that there is in fact a formal diversion in place to divert patients to the Lagan Valley due to a lack of beds at the Downe. This is simply unacceptable. Surely the South Eastern Trust should have foreseen an increase in demand for beds at the Downe given the nature of changes at the hospital over the past few months?”

The MLA said he has asked Mr. Poots to review bed numbers at the Downe in light of the reduction in A&E services and other changes at the Downpatrick hospital.

Sinn Fein local government election candidate, Naomi Bailie, revealed a bed manager at the Ulster Hospital said it “routinely experiences difficulty” in repatriating patients to the Downe due to the lack of beds.

A Trust spokeswoman explained the number of beds at the Downe is as agreed with, and funded by, the Department of Health and Health and Social Care Board. She said there is no requirement at the moment to increase this number and that currently “more patients than ever before” are being repatriated back to the Downe from the Ulster.

She continued: “If patients are unable to transfer back, it is normally because they are not yet medically suitable, rather than because of any lack of beds. Like all of our hospital sites, there will be some occasions when demand in the Downe spikes and we do have bed pressures, but these are infrequent.”

The Trust spokeswoman said that diverting patients is one of the measures the organisation uses across its three hospital sites to deal with spikes.

She said in the case of the Downe, “they are infrequent and may only be for a small number of hours,” explaining the Trust has capacity to increase the number of beds by three in Downpatrick if this is required.