BHB: Hospital Upgrades Alert Level To 3
Bermuda Hospitals Board [BHB] has upgraded its alert level to 3 “in response to growing pressure within King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.”
A spokesperson said, “Bermuda Hospitals Board today upgraded its alert level to 3, with 4 being the highest, in response to growing pressure within King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, primarily driven by the number of medically fit for discharge patients causing a record number of people waiting for inpatient beds.
“At one point this afternoon, 34 patients were waiting for beds. There were over 40 patients medically fit for discharge still in hospital, and all additional areas with available beds were being used.
“To increase capacity, with immediate effect, two of the larger Acute Care Wing inpatient unit rooms on each floor will take two medically fit for discharge patients per room. As there are three units, this will open up six additional rooms for patients needing acute care.
“The patients doubling up will be patients who are medically fit for discharge. The arrangement will impact visiting for these patients. They will be limited to one patient each at a time. Additional space in the Orthopaedic [Fracture] Clinic is already being used by four patients who are waiting for acute care beds, and available space in the children’s and maternity units are being used, as is created space in the long-term care units.”
Acting Chief of Staff Dr Anna Neilson-Williams said, “This is an incredible pressure on our staff and hospital services. We have had to accelerate plans to increase capacity urgently today and this is helping us reduce numbers in the Emergency Department, but overall we are still under great pressure. We are grateful to our staff once again standing up to the plate. Our emergency team has been under extreme pressure for many months, and it is being felt in our other units as they accommodate more patients.”
Chief of Nursing, Judy Richardson said, “The community see the pressure when they come to the Emergency Department and find people being cared for on our corridors, or when they visit their loved ones in overflow units. Our staff are caring for increasing numbers of people and this is felt across clinical and support services. The changes we are making are helping us through this crisis, but in the long term we need solutions in the community for an increasing frail and elderly population.”
Acting CEO and Chief Operating Officer Preston Swan said, “We understand that some people are very vulnerable and while they are medically fit for discharge from an acute care unit, they may have care or medical needs that must be in place in the community before they can leave. However, this is not all patients. We implore people who can take their loved ones home to do so. Every bed we can make available makes are big difference. There are other unwell people needing care.”
Chief of Emergency, Dr Chikezie Dean Okereke said, “If you can wait to see you doctor, please call and book an appointment. People who experience significant trauma, have stroke symptoms, chest pains or serious bleeding etc, must come to us for care, but we ask that people with general aches, pains, or worries not requiring urgent attention to please contact their GP instead. And if you do need to come, please be aware that if your symptoms are not critical you are likely to have a long wait before you see a physician.”
The spokesperson said, “Dr Okereke stated that due to the space constraint issues, patients are advised to only attend with one person carer if absolutely necessary.”
Acute care beds are being taken up by indigent patients who do NOT need nursing care. Their families refuse to be responsible for them at home, thus the problem that KEMH has – and can do nothing about.
Sadly, Barbara, what you say is not a new story.
This current hospitals floor space from a total building perspective falls grossly short for meeting the requirements for the ill, injured and aging. There is a single bed patient per room. The rooms and washroom are rather large and could have been suited for two patients. There is a massive empty void in the center of the building that could have been designed and further used for useful patient space. This hospital was not very well thought out of in terms of usable patient space. This is a serious blunder that we now face and patients are pilled up in hallways in emergency because we have a gross shortfall of space. During the past election the PLP kept on about the airport deal and how it was a bad and an expensive deal for Bermuda, but you dont hear of any problems from that well oiled machine, but they failed to mention how ill conceived our hospital was under the PLP GOVERNMENTS then health minister and now deputy primier Zane Desilva.
Our new hospital wing would be wonderful in Canada or America, but it does not take account of Bermuda’s resources and lack of resources.
The light well down the centre is actually a good thing, but given Bermuda’s small size, the use of single bed rooms and extra wide corridors could have been better thought out.
But our new hospital wing sure reflected well on our Premier and promoter of the public-private partnership, at least initially.
PLP love to mock the airport deal, which is working fine, but ignore this catastrophe they created. Totally unsuited for its purpose, and the cost to build is kept secret. Rather like the Grand Atlantic.
Speaking from personal experience for both my elderly father and my mother, it’s ALOT to have to organise full time care for them at home in a short period of time (we had less than 12 hours notice). Most of us work full time and cannot be home to provide the required care, and the expense of employing caregivers cannot be afforded by most. Fortunately our entire family pulled together to make it happen, which involved taking shifts, and meal prep, and providing financial support, however, many don’t have extended families, or have sole siblings trying to manage it all, whilst managing their own lives and households. It’s very challenging. It’s not the hospital’s responsibility to hold on to these patients, it’s not a hospital problem, the problem is lack of affordable options to care for the elderly in our community….can we PLEASE put some more focus on that? Future Care coverage for in home care is appreciated, but minimal.
Can we all keep in mind that these abandoned elderly found a way to put food on the table for you, shoes on your feet. They were often single mothers or fathers, had to work 2 and 3 jobs to make sure you all ate and were clothed.
I could go on but this is disgusting. What is wrong with you people? Figure it out LIKE THEY DID WHEN THEY RAISED YOU!
Shame on all of you.
As I said above, sadly not a new story.
FACTS! It’s called shared sacrifice and of course it is a challenge but don’t dump them off at the hospital or a future affordable option is WILD! This is your BLOOD AND FAMILY!!
The occupancy at the hospital is not the hospital’s fault, nor the government, nor families. It is societal crisis, and the hospital is the symptom. Too many people are being left in the hospital because families are either unable or unwilling to take care of them at home. This could be due to logistics, i.e. no suitable place for them to live that can accommodate someone with physical or medical limitations, or unable to afford the cost of care be it caregivers (live in or part time), or the additional medical bills that mount from illness. Also, while there are loans for making accommodations to your home to help with senior’s care, you still have to be able to afford the loans. This is all while dealing with a constantly evolving cost of living that has everyone pinching their pennies. FutureCare does provide a home care benefit which is much appreciated but for patients on GEHI or private medical care they are unable to obtain this benefit, unless they switch insurance plans. If you switch to FutureCare, you have to be on there for a year before you can utilize the home care benefit, so there’s no immediate benefit.
It is great to see the government planning senior care facilities at Gilbert Institute and in St David’s. I think more need to be done to expedite these projects though. Folks need help yesterday. And yes, I know that’s easier said than done. But for families requiring around the clock care, costs are upward of 12-15K a month. Pensions can in no way cover these costs. Every family doesn’t have a network that is willing or able to cover the time and costs. And in this economy, while trying to pay a mortgage, educate children, it is nearly impossible.
The configuration of single occupancy rooms at KEMH is not the reason for the shortage. The shortage is because those that are well have nowhere to go. Single occupancy rooms are the best option to prevent cross contamination and protect confidentiality and privacy. I venture to say that if everyone that was in the hospital and ready to go home was actually taken home or to another place, the single occupancy rooms would work out fine.
The overcrowding at the hospital is a result of bad planning. It has huge wasted spaces, which could be used for patient care. It was badly designed, and.that is the fault of the government.
Whole lotta excuses and cop-outs in your response lmfao. Of course it comes down to all the families, the government, AND the hospital. WTF
WELL SAID Mr P.Meoff
can even add anything to your message .you said it all