HSE Urges Patients to Plan for Hospital Discharge from Day of Admission
HSE asks Cork patients to plan for discharge from admission day as winter pressures strain CUH and Mercy emergency departments.
The HSE has reminded Cork families that discharge planning should begin the moment a patient is admitted to hospital, as winter pressures continue to strain emergency departments across the county.
Cork University Hospital and Mercy University Hospital emergency departments remain exceptionally busy this week, with staff working to reduce waiting times whilst maintaining accessibility to care.
Priscilla Lynch, HSE area manager for Cork South and West, emphasised the importance of timely discharge:
"Our healthcare teams are working with patients and the public to make sure everyone gets the Right Care, in the Right Place, at the Right Time, delivering on our SláinteCare objectives. The public can help by engaging with all options for discharge when they are offered. Every hour in a bed in an acute hospital is a valuable resource. Unfortunately, when someone does not move on from a bed when the acute phase of their treatment is finished, it causes a delay in someone else's care."
The HSE has highlighted that overstaying in hospital beds directly contributes to overcrowding in emergency departments, creating knock-on delays for other patients requiring acute care.
Sonya Cotter, HSE area manager for Cork North and East, acknowledged the challenges facing patients:
"Healthcare services in Cork remain busy, particularly during the winter period. We acknowledge that wait times in hospital emergency departments are longer for patients. We are working hard to improve this and we need the people to help our HSE South West frontline healthcare teams.
Hospitals in Cork provide excellent acute care and it is important that we ensure acute capacity is available. Therefore it is important when patients are finished the acute phase of their healthcare treatment they transition seamlessly to the next appropriate care destination."
HSE South West has urged the public to follow its social media channels for updates on healthcare services during the winter period.
