2/ How we build hospitals, how we build houses, how we care for the elderly and vulnerable. It’s disappointing how much our government focuses on smoke and mirrors. Deflection and delays. Right hand not knowing what the left hand is doing.
3/ Our Taoiseach didn’t hear about the contact tracing problems until the media reported it. The mother and baby homes commission was established 5 years ago, now the records will be sealed for 30 years.
4/ The cervical cancer debacle, more disappointment and anger. A tragic nursing home Covid 19 outbreak, an exhausted crying owner feeling abandoned by @hselive. Cancer screenings cancelled.
5/ These are not solely Covid issues. They’ve been there for decades. “Unforeseen circumstances”, “winter plans”, “reports”, “tribunals”, “committees”, it goes on and on. The state has employed nearly 25000 more healthcare workers in the last 7 years.
6/ We spend more per capita on our healthcare system than almost every other country in the world (we are the 3rd highest spender on healthcare in the world!). What do we have to show for it - the longest waiting lists in the history of the nation.
7/ In the last 10 years we have increased our health spend by nearly a 1/3rd . But there has been no increase in procedural or surgical output. I fully sympathise with all of my colleagues working in the public system as I did for 20 years.
8/ Whatever masses of the annual budget (almost 1/8th of the country’s annual spend goes to the healthcare system), those on the frontline can’t see it. No access to diagnostics, no step down facilities, no inpatient beds, no theatre slots, trolley crises, swamped EDs.
9/ Why do we accept a narrative from officials which is sugar coated and spin filled. Things are what they are. Is it not time to stop throwing more money at the problem and look instead at how the money is being spent, is it value for the taxpayer.
10/ @ProfJohnCrown has said it for many years and I agree with him fully- the system is malfunded.
11/ Because at present, someone is doing well from the massive spending on health, but it isn’t the patient, nor the HCWs.
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2/ There is already such anger, much of which I worry will not simply settle as the days pass. Obviously there is the shock of the much leaked news of the level 5 announcement.
3/So many parts of society now live with real concern as to whether or not they will have a job or a business to go back to/open in 6 weeks time. I sense a lot of anger about what is considered essential to remain open during lockdown (GAA) vs non-essential.
1/ It’s absolutely clear that we don’t have the ICU capacity we need in Ireland. This has been shown in multiple reports going back years.
2/ The numbers are less now than they were, and 20% of the current ICU beds in the public system remain closed. In the times of a pandemic, we have to ask why.
We have to also ask why in the last 7 months the capacity hasn’t been improved.
3/ Regardless of any opinion of pursuing a zero Covid island vs living with the virus, our stated objective from March was to flatten the curve and avoid overwhelming our public healthcare system
1/ Sometimes I wonder are the debates on twitter a reflection on how the wider population feel. Is there such a degree of anger and divergent opinions regarding Covid and our response? It seems to be one camp or another.
2/ I usually try to see if there is merit/data/scientific fact in both sides of an argument. I start off by taking the approach that the opinion of the person is correct and then work back from there.
1/ Why do we look for a winter plan every year . We know what’s coming. It comes every year. More acute admissions, the seasonal influenza outbreak, worsening of community acquired infections.
2/ Trolleys and EDs are full, patients can’t be discharged to step down facilities or nursing homes owing to lack of availability, slow processing of fair deal packages, no home care packages etc. We know this. It’s been the same for years.
1/ Ill admit I have questions. Questions wondering how it can be that our health service isn’t what our patients deserve.
2/ It’s a given that there aren’t enough beds in the public system. But there is extra capacity in the system. There are wards closed around the country due to staff shortages and/or renovations.
3/ There have been modular units built on hospital grounds for “Covid surges” which now lie empty- why are these beds not being used to take patients off trolleys and out of emergency departments. Is it a shortage of staff ? Is it a rostering issue?