ED docs and nurses to hold virtual press conference

According to HPSC figures, 89,432 of the pandemic’s total 1,442,877 cases had occurred within the two weeks prior to March 27.

The Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation and the Irish Association for Emergency Medicine are to hosting a virtual briefing later this morning calling for Government assistance to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Higher rates of infection are causing high rates of hospital admission say the organisations, and hospitals are being “overwhelmed and staff need real assistance”.

The INMO’s Phil Ni Sheaghdha and Karen McGowan (Nurse in Beaumont ED) and the Irish Association for Emergency Medicine’s Mr Fergal Hickey (Consultant in Emergency Medicine, Sligo University Hospital) will take part in the joint briefing.

This comes as over 10,000 patients have been without a bed since the mask mandate was lifted on February 28, and over 1,601 patients are in hospital currently with COVID.

In addition to the very serious patient risks, there are very significant risks for medical and nursing staff who are now exhausted from being on the front line, dealing with wave-upon-wave of patients diagnosed with COVID and the other drivers of increased attendances, including a significant increase in acute mental health emergencies and increased paediatric admissions, while dealing with their own personal and family anxieties.

The INMO and IAEM are now calling on Government, public health officials and HSE senior management to take action. This includes a revisiting of public health measures, particularly the simple ones: mask-wearing in indoor and congregated settings and working from home.

They believe there should also be adherence to the advice from the World Health Organisation

According to HPSC figures, 89,432 of the pandemic’s total 1,442,877 cases had occurred within the two weeks prior to March 27, meaning that 6.2% of COVID infections had occurred in approximately 1-2% of the pandemic’s timeframe.

Meanwhile, 58% of all COVID deaths in Ireland have been linked to outbreaks, with over 90% of those linked to outbreaks in healthcare facilities.

In a statement issued by the INMO, General Secretary, Phil Ní Sheaghdha said: “Predictable overcrowding in winter, mixed with higher community spread of an airborne contagious infection means decision-makers are not in the dark. Abandoning our public acute hospitals is a decision that Government cannot make, this would be the wrong decision for patients and the wrong one for staff.

“Hospitals are currently not safe for patients or for staff because of the level of overcrowding and COVID infection levels. We need clear and coherent public health advice from Government and senior public health officials. The public need to be made aware of why we need them to once again step up to the plate in order to protect those who are working on our frontlines.”

Irish Association of Emergency Medicine President, Mr Fergal Hickey added: “The situation in Irish hospitals at present is the worst that many of my colleagues and I have seen in our careers. The situation at present is intolerable for all who work in our hospitals. Our hospitals have been hanging together by a thread of goodwill of staff but that is about to snap.

“The problem of overcrowding at this level is not a new phenomenon in our hospitals. Medical professionals have been sounding the alarm for a long time now. Immediate stronger public health measures are needed - not doing so and abandoning the hospitals to the inevitable will lead to preventable unnecessary higher levels of illness requiring hospital admission and, sadly, for some a fatal outcome. Hospitals are currently not safe for patients or for staff because of the level of overcrowding and COVID infection levels.

“It has been repeatedly and robustly proven over recent decades that ED crowding results in an excess 30-day mortality for all patients and the recently published UK research confirms that delay to admission is, of itself, a cause of avoidable mortality to the patient subjected to this long wait, irrespective of overall levels of crowding.”