Public Urged To Bring Own Beds To Hospital For Next While

238
0
Share:

FOLLOWING a surge in admissions that led to record numbers of patients waiting for a bed in hospitals across the country yesterday, the HSE has urged anyone who needs to attend an Accident & Emergency unit in the foreseeable future to bring a bed with them.

The bed shortages, a result of cuts to HSE spending combined with a yearly surge in patients following Christmas, reached 601 yesterday, in stark contrast to a government pledge that the previous record of 569 patients on trolleys in January 2011 would never be repeated.

With 2,000 beds across the country currently closed to the public due to spending cuts, a spokesperson for the HSE issued a statement this morning pleading with anyone who needs to attend A&E in the coming weeks to bring something to lie on, so that the trolley figures don’t seem so high.

“If you have to attend A&E, please allow yourself an extra bit of time to disassemble your bed and reassemble it after you’ve taken your place in the queue,” said Marcus O’Neill, spokesperson for the HSE.

“We would request that you bring single beds only, and nothing that you need help reassembling. We’ve instructed hospitals across the country to clear out some room in the halls, where patients can lie down instead of sitting in the waiting room”.

“You don’t even have to bring the whole bed, if you just want to bring a mattress then that’s cool too. Even a blow-up thing like you’d bring to Electric Picnic, anything at all you can lie on for a few days until you get seen to”.

Although beleaguered Minister For Health Leo Varadkar was unavailable for comment, sources close to the TD say he has had it “up to here” with all these sick people.

Share:
X