I'd be interested in hearing feedback on this experience of A&E unit in Beaumont Hospital.
My mother was admitted as an ambulance emergency this afternoon. When I phoned ambulance control I was told that there was a backlog of persons waiting for ambulances and that there was only 13 ambulances to service the whole of the Dublin region.
Obviously persons are prioritized according to need. Anyway, after complaining to control and telling them that my mother was deteriorating an ambulance was eventually dispatched.
On arrival in A&E she was put queuing with the walking wounded. The system in Beaumont is that persons via the walk in wounded and ambulance cases are triaged by the same nurse. My mother was coded orange, the next down from red. Despite being semi-conscious she was not seen by a doctor till 1 hour later. She was also hypoglaecaemic and staff here didnt think it was important to give dextrose or glucagon. When you complained to the staff nurse in charge they then implement this so called visitors policy where visiting times is between 7-8pm. Anybody ever hear of visiting times in A&E for persons who arent even admitted and ironically A&E has different visiting times to hospital ward units. You ask questions including to produce the policy document and they quote health and safety - but does the need for health and safety in relation to overcrowding suddenly disappear between visiting hours.
It's now 7.10pm, she's been seen by a doctor and that's about all. Its now a case where, do I tell her in her own self interest to self-discharge herself and bring her to another hospital where I know she will be treated within a centre of excellence and be transferred to a ward or do she remain in a hospital where she'll be on a trolley for day's and where her safety is at risk.
My mother was admitted as an ambulance emergency this afternoon. When I phoned ambulance control I was told that there was a backlog of persons waiting for ambulances and that there was only 13 ambulances to service the whole of the Dublin region.
Obviously persons are prioritized according to need. Anyway, after complaining to control and telling them that my mother was deteriorating an ambulance was eventually dispatched.
On arrival in A&E she was put queuing with the walking wounded. The system in Beaumont is that persons via the walk in wounded and ambulance cases are triaged by the same nurse. My mother was coded orange, the next down from red. Despite being semi-conscious she was not seen by a doctor till 1 hour later. She was also hypoglaecaemic and staff here didnt think it was important to give dextrose or glucagon. When you complained to the staff nurse in charge they then implement this so called visitors policy where visiting times is between 7-8pm. Anybody ever hear of visiting times in A&E for persons who arent even admitted and ironically A&E has different visiting times to hospital ward units. You ask questions including to produce the policy document and they quote health and safety - but does the need for health and safety in relation to overcrowding suddenly disappear between visiting hours.
It's now 7.10pm, she's been seen by a doctor and that's about all. Its now a case where, do I tell her in her own self interest to self-discharge herself and bring her to another hospital where I know she will be treated within a centre of excellence and be transferred to a ward or do she remain in a hospital where she'll be on a trolley for day's and where her safety is at risk.