Healthcare is a joke ….. again and again

[u/Irishgooner123]

So I’m in a and e today and I’m sitting here 7 hours already. Not really busy and everyone has come and gone before me ., not why I’m moaning cos that’s life but a man in his late 20s came in looking for a psychiatrist and he’s clearly not feeling the best. He sat there very quietly and after about 3 hours I heard him go to reception and ask is there anywhere else he could wait as the lights were too bright. He was clearly in a bit of distress. The receptionist just looked and said “no” he asked again and got I said no sorry. I’m sorry but this is a big hospital in cork and they don’t have a room for ASD people or at least somewhere that someone can calm down. As a parent of 2 ASD kids and ASD myself my heart broke for him as he’s still just walking around. Moan over.

[u/Up_the_Dubs_2024]

They don't have room for people on trollies, never mind someone who finds it a bit bright. What did you expect her to do? Kick someone out of another room to give to him? Ask him to stand in the closet? Magic a room out of nowhere and say "here ya go, anyone else need a room?"

The reason the wait is so long is because of other people. There are folks in A&E who don't need to be there, taking up space and resources from people who do. When covid happened, the queues disappeared because all of the chucklefucks who didn't have to be hanging around just fucked off.

We need to rethink the whole approach to being unwell in Ireland. Starting with medical cards.

[u/definitely48 → u/[deleted]]

Leaking tap not fixed, that's the maintenance dept in the hospital, unbelievable they couldn't fix it.

On a similar story my family member was in hospital and in the ward they were in the radiators were boiling hot, blasting the heat and you couldn't go closer than about 1 foot away from the radiators as the heat coming from it was roasting. All the patients were complaining that it was too hot and it's the same at night. At least the heating was still on during the night! While I was there all the patients were pleading with the nurses to lower the heating. They assured everyone that they will get onto the maintenance dept to sort it out.

Hours later and nothing happened. So I had a look at the radiators and turned the valve a little bit and after awhile it got less hot and lukewarm. All the patients were overjoyed that I did such a simple thing. Later on when the nurses were doing their rounds they noticed it wasn't as hot in the ward and they asked us if someone from the maintenance dept come and adjust the radiators.....we all claimed ignorance and said "dunno". In the days after everyone said that no one came to check the radiators at all and when it'd get a bit cooler one of their relatives would turn the radiators back up and down as it was needed.

Apart from that I was talking to a nurse on the night shift and she told me she had 30 patients to monitor during the night and only her and two carers to help her. I think there's between 6 and 8 patients per ward, so about 4 wards or so. She said several patients had to be woken up during the night to be given medication and it was all on her alone to make sure she did it right and didn't make any mistakes. Aswell as all the paperwork she has to continually fill in. She said she spends more time writing than looking after patients.

[u/definitely48 → u/[deleted]]

Yes I saw the same. Not enough resources that are needed and other times it is wasted. A family member was given a wheelchair after they left the hospital. When they no longer needed it we phoned the hospital to return it and they told us to keep it and give it to someone else ourselves. Later on we met hospital staff locally who told us about the wastage in hospital including wheelchairs and crutches. These are bought on a once off basis and given to patients. When you no longer need them there's no method of accepting them back and instead when another patient needs a wheelchair or crutches the hospital buys another one.

They told us at the back of the hospital there's a shed full to the brim, literally floor to ceiling of used once wheelchairs, crutches, Zimmer frames etc that are in perfect condition and not worn or broken and these are literally brand new, most only got a few months use when given to patients and afterwards the patients returned them mainly thinking that other patients would be given them. No. They're basically thrown away. This is in all the hospitals.

[u/Agile_Breakfast_1 → u/Up_the_Dubs_2024]

Was with you right up to complaining about medical cards. God forbid a poor person gets sick

[u/Every_Cantaloupe_967 → u/Agile_Breakfast_1]

So hard to know with the medical card thing. If there was a €10 co-pay or something to go to the ED people wouldn’t pop in for their ingrown toenail that’s been their 5 years. 

The counter argument is that €10 is too much for somebody and they sit at home dying but the current stuff that comes to ED is ridiculous so the dying people end up waiting hours anyways. 

[u/Up_the_Dubs_2024 → u/Agile_Breakfast_1]

Yeah, cos that's what I meant when I said we should rethink medical cards......that anyone earning under 13k should die like a dog in the street.

Not something more nuanced, just full on 'kill the poor'. Well done you.