The Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) has reached its capacity for in-patient admission and members of the public will experience delays at the healthcare facility.
In a media release on Sunday night, the Board of Management of the QEH says these delays will affect those seeking service through the Accident and Emergency Department (AED) – and by extension the ambulance service – as well as those who may need surgeries.
Only emergency surgeries are being performed and all elective procedures were rescheduled.
“The QEH has reached its maximum capacity as the majority of its 519 in-patient beds are currently occupied. This is due in part to the large number of persons awaiting elective surgery, and the continued provision of care to persons classified as Elderly for Care (EFC),” the release said.
“Presently, the QEH is home to at least 30 EFCs who have been cleared for discharge but whose relatives, due to socio-economic and other factors, are unable or ill-equipped to provide the care which they require in the home environment. Until they are placed in an appropriate alternative care facility, these elderly patients remain under the care of the QEH, and utilise beds needed for patients who require acute care.”
Management reassured the public that in spite of the challenges, “no patient will be discharged before the medical team determines it is safe to do so” and medical and nursing staff were “working assiduously to review and discharge only those patients who no longer require hospitalisation and can be safely managed at home”. (PR/SAT)
