Portiuncula under pressure from Roscommon closure

The fall-out from the closure of the Emergency Department (ED) at Roscommon Hospital continues to adversely impact on patients at Portiuncula Hospital, which again this week suffered from chronic overcrowding.

Presentations at the Ballinasloe ED have spiked since the closure of Roscommon ED in 2011 but the problem has reached crisis point again with some 18 patients reported on trolleys one day this week.

Portiuncula ED was designed to allow just six trolleys but it had to cater for three times that amount on Monday prompting the hospital to issue a statement warning patients off presenting to ED unless it was an emergency.

“Presentations at Portiuncula Hospital have increased by between 30% and 40% since Roscommon Hospital Emergency Department was closed in August, 2011,” said Independent TD, Denis Naughten, who resigned for Fine Gael over the issue.

He explained Portiuncula ED was built before Roscommon closed, and it doesn’t physically have the space to cope.

“Staff at Portiuncula, privately will tell you that prior to the closure of Roscommon, there was never a problem with overcrowding at Portiuncula Emergency Department. They were proud of that record. But every year since 2011 there has been overcrowding. Twice in the past month they have been forced to go public and issue warnings,” he said.

Deputy Naughten said another consequence of the closure of Roscommon was that the age-profile of patients presenting at Portiuncula ED was older, meaning they were staying longer at Ballinasloe, and this had a knock-on effect on the ‘turnaround’ of patient discharge.

He said in order to alleviate the problem, there needed to be direct access to the Medical Assessment Unit at Roscommon, which currently operates on a GP-referrals basis only.

Another option to alleviate overcrowding is investment in primary health care in the community. He said that some 57% of cases of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, which relates to breathing, presenting at ED could be cared for in the community.

In its plea to the public this week the hospital said its ED was “very busy” on Monday and it appealed to the public “to keep the Emergency Department for emergencies and to contact their GP or GP Out of Hours services where possible.”

It said it was “working strenuously to ensure access to beds”.

“Portiuncula Hospital apologies to all patients and their families for any distress caused as a result of the delays and acknowledges the hard work, commitment and dedication of all staff at this time,” it said.

Patients near Roscommon Hospital were asked to use the hospital’s Minor Injuries Unit in the Urgent Care Centre every day, including weekends, from 8am to 8pm. The unit treats all minor injuries in adults, and in children of 5 years and over, including suspected broken bones (from knees to toes and from collar bone to finger tips); sprains and strains; facial injuries; minor burns and scalds; minor chest and head injuries; and wounds, bites, cuts, grazes and scalp lacerations.

Patients in the Minor Injuries Unit in Roscommon Hospital wait on average less than an hour in the department from registration at reception to discharge. The charges are the same as for presentations at Emergency Departments, which means that there is no charge for medical cardholders or for patients with a valid medical/GP referral letter.