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Social care shortage compounds NI hospital pressures Emergency care in NI: Nurse 'would be worried' if family had to use A&E
(34 minutes later)
The shortage of health workers in Northern Ireland's social care sector must be addressed to relieve pressure on hospital beds, Age NI has said. An emergency department nurse has said he would be worried if any of his loved ones had to seek treatment there as staff continue to be overwhelmed.
All of Northern Ireland's health trusts are failing to meet emergency department waiting time targets because they do not have enough beds available. Stephen McKenna, who spent the Christmas period working on the frontline, described conditions as "absolutely horrific".
Many beds are being used by people who need care in order to leave hospital. All of Northern Ireland's health trusts are failing to meet emergency department waiting time targets.
But Age NI's chief executive said staff shortage in hospitals was the "tip of the iceberg" compared with social care. They do not have enough beds available due to difficulty discharging patients.
Speaking on the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme, Linda Robinson from Age NI said staff retention in the social care sector was a real problem and the rates of pay were "appalling". Many beds are being used by people who need to secure social care arrangements in order to leave hospital.
"I would be extremely worried to the point where I would probably want to be with them every step of the way," said Mr McKenna, a member of the Royal College of Nursing's emergency nurse network.
"I can see why people want to be there [with their relatives]," he told the BBC's Good Morning Ulster.
"I would be really worried about leaving a grandparent, a mother, a sister, a brother in an emergency department for fear that they're going to be lying somewhere potentially distressed by other patients, potentially not getting the care they need because the staff are just completely overwhelmed."
Mr McKenna said medical staff were "now looking after people in corridors" and that some people were being "nursed head to toe, top to tail, side by side, crammed into spaces".
"Across all emergency departments I have worked in in the north there are people literally lying and sitting side by side in conditions that would otherwise have been completely unacceptable just five years ago."
'Social care investment needed'
The charity Age NI has said the shortage of health workers in Northern Ireland's social care sector must be addressed to relieve pressure on hospital beds.
But the charity's chief executive said staff shortages in hospitals was the "tip of the iceberg" compared with social care.
Linda Robinson said staff retention in the social care sector was a real problem and the rates of pay were "appalling".
Linda Robinson is the chief executive of Age NI
She said investment was needed in the sector in order to solve the mounting problems.She said investment was needed in the sector in order to solve the mounting problems.
Health trusts across the UK are facing unprecedented pressure in emergency departments and hospital wards because of increasing numbers of patients and falling numbers of NHS staff.Health trusts across the UK are facing unprecedented pressure in emergency departments and hospital wards because of increasing numbers of patients and falling numbers of NHS staff.
Shortly before Christmas, Northern Ireland's health trusts announced new measures aimed at freeing up beds faster to accommodate the sickest patients.Shortly before Christmas, Northern Ireland's health trusts announced new measures aimed at freeing up beds faster to accommodate the sickest patients.
On 19 December, a 48-hour time limit was introduced to discharge patients who were deemed medically fit to leave hospital.On 19 December, a 48-hour time limit was introduced to discharge patients who were deemed medically fit to leave hospital.
At the time, the department said those patients would be asked to go home or, if they were unable to go home, be transferred to the first available care facility that met their needs, regardless of whether or not it was their first choice of accommodation.At the time, the department said those patients would be asked to go home or, if they were unable to go home, be transferred to the first available care facility that met their needs, regardless of whether or not it was their first choice of accommodation.
Health authorities asked patients and families to work with staff so that hospital beds and ambulances could be reserved for those most in need.Health authorities asked patients and families to work with staff so that hospital beds and ambulances could be reserved for those most in need.
Linda Robinson is the chief executive of Age NI 'Need for solutions'
However, Ms Robinson pointed out that deeming a patient medically fit for discharge does not necessarily mean that they are healthy and well.However, Ms Robinson pointed out that deeming a patient medically fit for discharge does not necessarily mean that they are healthy and well.
Many older patients are extremely frail and some families are unable to care for loved ones who have complex or round-the-clock care needs.Many older patients are extremely frail and some families are unable to care for loved ones who have complex or round-the-clock care needs.
Retaining staff in the social care sector is a big problem, says Age NI
Ms Robinson said: "Older people have a choice and families have a choice.Ms Robinson said: "Older people have a choice and families have a choice.
"It may not be appropriate for people to be generally discharged into a nursing or residential facility."It may not be appropriate for people to be generally discharged into a nursing or residential facility.
"It's got to be appropriate or what happens is we have unplanned admissions back into the system on a very short-term basis.""It's got to be appropriate or what happens is we have unplanned admissions back into the system on a very short-term basis."
NI emergency pressures 'will cause more deaths'
Hospital pressures 'worse than Groundhog Day'
She said that returning to contingency measures using during the Covid pandemic could be looked at as a short-term solution.She said that returning to contingency measures using during the Covid pandemic could be looked at as a short-term solution.
"During Covid we made significant steps in changing things," she said."During Covid we made significant steps in changing things," she said.
"If we don't have enough staff to deliver one-to-one care in the community is there something in going back to the models that we had when we looked at [discharging patients to] hotels?"If we don't have enough staff to deliver one-to-one care in the community is there something in going back to the models that we had when we looked at [discharging patients to] hotels?
"We built a system in the Odyssey [Arena] to take that pressure out of those hospital beds."We built a system in the Odyssey [Arena] to take that pressure out of those hospital beds.
"Lots of solutions have got to come forward.""Lots of solutions have got to come forward."
At midday on Tuesday, there were hundreds of people waiting for treatment in EDs across Northern Ireland - 376 of whom had waited longer than 12 hours, which is a breach of health service waiting time targets.At midday on Tuesday, there were hundreds of people waiting for treatment in EDs across Northern Ireland - 376 of whom had waited longer than 12 hours, which is a breach of health service waiting time targets.
An emergency consultant based at Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital described the situation as "scandalous and shocking"
Dr Paul Kerr said hundreds of patients were lying on trolleys and he warned that the crowding in Northern Ireland's hospitals was likely to lead to more unnecessary deaths in the future.