"No dangerous DIY, no recklessness" - urgent appeal to protect the hospital

Tuesday 26 January 2021

With increasing numbers of Covid-19 cases, senior staff at the hospital are asking for a "community-wide effort" to keep all but essential cases out of the PEH.

Health & Social Care Medical Director Dr Peter Rabey said the PEH is already experiencing a high number of admissions due to seasonal illnesses, prompting concerns about availability of bed space.

"The hospital is here if you need us, but we must make sure we keep our limited acute capacity for where it is needed the most," said Dr Rabey. "We need to work as a community to protect our PEH."

That does not mean neglecting health concerns - people should seek medical attention promptly via their GPs to avoid their condition escalating. 

“If you are concerned about any ailments don’t put them off, adopt a nip-it-in the-bud mentality," said Director of Hospital and Community Services Dermot Mullin.

"Issues that are not promptly dealt with could end up unnecessarily needing hospital treatment.”

Pictured: The hospital is still open to people who need it.

Hospital admissions can also be reduced, Mr Mullin said, by taking a common sense approach to avoiding risks. 

“No dangerous DIY, no reckless recreation. No one wants to end up in hospital if they don’t have to.”

Some lengthy stays in hospital are unavoidable, due to the level of specialist required care. However, HSC say that many patients could be discharged back home or moved into appropriate care a lot sooner. 

“If you are told it is safe for you to be discharged then we are asking you and your family to make every effort to get you home," said Mr Mullin. 

“Prolonged stays in hospital can be unnecessarily detrimental to your health due to sleep deprivation, increased risk of falls or infection among many other things.

"So it’s not just about protecting bed space, it really is about ensuring you are in the best place. We would never discharge someone if it wasn’t safe to do so."

The PEH is currently closed to all visitors and all elective surgeries that had been scheduled for this week have been postponed. Anyone who has to attend the Emergency Department or other areas of the hospital will be asked to social distance and staff will be wearing PPE.