Well Who is going to lose their Hospital ?

steveymp

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-16158834

10 acute to 5 :eek:

Can we start an MSE lottery to see which survive:rotfl:winner gets an evening sit in the A&E of their choice:rotfl:

I'm not Edwins biggest fan but he seems to talk a lot of sense when it comes to rationalization of Health Services, well he listens to the right people anyway

shell820810

steveymp wrote: »

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-16158834

10 acute to 5 :eek:

Can we start an MSE lottery to see which survive:rotfl:winner gets an evening sit in the A&E of their choice:rotfl:

I'm not Edwins biggest fan but he seems to talk a lot of sense when it comes to rationalization of Health Services, well he listens to the right people anyway

I already have to travel 25-30 miles for the nearest A & E. :mad:

Its peoples lives they are playing with here. 30-45 minutes in an ambulance (after having to wait for the ambulance) could be the difference between life and death.

Its ok for him to compare it to the UK mainland, but he is comparing it to much more built up areas. I dont know the stats but a population in a 50 mile radius in NI could be the same as a 5 mile radius in parts of England. I think he needs to take travel time into account rather than just population

steveymp

http://www.dhsspsni.gov.uk/hscreview131211.htm

Click - Health and Social Care Review Report (Transforming Your Care) (PDF 5MB)

warmhands.coldheart

Sorry guys but I actually agree with Poots on this one. The health service is exactly that... a service... not a building.... I'd rather have 5 outstanding A&E units to provide an outstanding service than than 10 half !!!!!d ones offering basic services.....

shell820810

warmhands.coldheart wrote: »

Sorry guys but I actually agree with Poots on this one. The health service is exactly that... a service... not a building.... I'd rather have 5 outstanding A&E units to provide an outstanding service than than 10 half !!!!!d ones offering basic services.....

They wont be much use if you die in the 45-60mins or so that it takes you to get there. But I suppose that will reduce waiting times too......;)

This is a major issue for anyone outside Belfast, especially west of the Bann

A.L.D.A

Yesterday I had to take someone to A&E in Antrim hospital. I spent the day in there. It is overloaded. Cleaning staff can't get trolleys in and out, due to queues. wheelchairs, beds etc totally constricted. This was Monday morning not Friday night.

Apart from that it took a good 35 minutes to get there.

I would prefer more local A&E services even if not as well equipped. Distance really does matters.

saverbuyer

warmhands.coldheart wrote: »

Sorry guys but I actually agree with Poots on this one. The health service is exactly that... a service... not a building.... I'd rather have 5 outstanding A&E units to provide an outstanding service than than 10 half !!!!!d ones offering basic services.....

I have to agree, do 1.5 million people really need 10 A&E departments? We need to start living within our (as a country) means.

warmhands.coldheart

A.L.D.A wrote: »

Yesterday I had to take someone to A&E in Antrim hospital. I spent the day in there. It is overloaded. Cleaning staff can't get trolleys in and out, due to queues. wheelchairs, beds etc totally constricted. This was Monday morning not Friday night.

Apart from that it took a good 35 minutes to get there.

I would prefer more local A&E services even if not as well equipped. Distance really does matters.

Do you not think though that a lot of these queue's and high waiting times are due to poeple using A&E like a drop in doctors surgery?
The last time I was in A&E there was a lady in who "didn't feel well and had a high temperature" and a boy in with his fater who had fallen and cut his knee....
Is is not a case that these people should have used the out of hours doctors services?

stephenni1971

I think in comparison with mainland you would find we are over-covered for hospital A & E departments. Also quite sure we are top heavy in council areas, education boards and numerous other public sector bodies.

steveymp

shell820810 wrote: »

They wont be much use if you die in the 45-60mins or so that it takes you to get there. But I suppose that will reduce waiting times too......;)

This is a major issue for anyone outside Belfast, especially west of the Bann

I actually think West of the Bann will do quite well out of this for once Shell;) Altnagelvin will definately be one of the 5 acutes as I am guessing will be the new aptly named "Acute Hospital for the South West" when it opens next year. I would be very worried if I lived in Coleraine or Newry/ South Down:o

We do have too many hospitals, it was always a political issue in the past that every town should have one:o When you consider not too long ago Strabane and Limavady had their own hospitals :eek: we are moving in the right direction with rationalization of services. The process will take time and it will hurt some more than others depending on where you live:o

Mr Poots has made it his priority to cure insomnia, with that document today he is well on the way

A.L.D.A

warmhands.coldheart wrote: »

Do you not think though that a lot of these queue's and high waiting times are due to poeple using A&E like a drop in doctors surgery?
The last time I was in A&E there was a lady in who "didn't feel well and had a high temperature" and a boy in with his fater who had fallen and cut his knee....
Is is not a case that these people should have used the out of hours doctors services?

Most people I have taken to the Hospital have been referred there by their doctors. The last visit was in the day, not the middle of the night. Why would anyone during the day go up to Antrim hospital and not round to their local surgery?

I have also been in A&E the middle of the night, rigour, gun shot wounds, and someone with a severe asthma attack, real emergencies. The A&E has been quieter at night (except one Friday night at the Mater which could only be described as a descent into the pit. Police, drunks fighting etc.)

I would suggest that most people are there because their GPs referred them. There were a lot there with suspected fractures, problems with tendons, breathing difficulties. None of them looked like happy campers. At times there were not even enough seats for the sick to sit down!! It was bunged and obviously the X-ray department was not keeping up with demand.

I have some elderly relatives to care for and have been in A&E in Antrim a fair number of times. My experience is still limited, but it seems persistently over stretched.

Many of the people there, whilst very ill, were accidents rather than emergencies. Perhaps the referral system needs reconsideration and perhaps such patients should be booked in at fixed times rather than sent? Don't know enough about it to make informed comment, but I don't think there is much spare capacity.

Travel distance does concern me, the person who went into rigor could well have died if the journey had been longer. Distance does matter.