Christmas Covid-19 surge at Portlaoise hospital with just two beds free in 'unprecedented' pressure on services

The number of people with Covid-19 has surged at Portlaoise hospital where trolley number were into double figures just two days after Christmas with just two general beds available in hospital, according to figures from nurses and the HSE.

The HSE stats also reveal that the Laois hospital is experiencing almost the same number of people with the virus at Christmas 2021 as it is in 2022. 

The COVID-19 Daily Operations Update report for Acute Hospitals from the HSE Performance Management and Improvement Unit shows the latest figures as at 8pm on Tuesday, December 27.

There were nine people with the coronavirus at 8pm on Tuesday evening when there was also one suspected case at the Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise. Fortunately, there were no confirmed COVID-19 Cases in ICU/HDU.

The figures also show the capacity of the hospital. They reveal that there were just two general beds in the system. There were no ICU/HDU beds available at 10.30am on December 27 in the Laois hospital.

The HSE Covid-19 figures for the same day in 2021 appear to show that the hospital is under more pressure than 12 months ago when Covid-19 restrictions were still in place.

On December 27, 2021 there were 10 confirmed cases in the Laois hospital of whom two were critically ill. However, the hospital had spare capacity. There was one available ICU/HDU bed and 17 general beds for staff to utilise.

HSE reports for December 2022 show that Covid-19 is resulting in steep rise in patients ending up in hospital in Laois and elsewhere. 

There were just two patients with the virus in the Laois hospital on December 1, 2022. This had risen to six on Christmas Day and nine two days later.

The situation is similar Portlaoise's two sister hospitals. Tullamore hospital had four patients with Covid at the start of December. This had risen to 12 by December 27 when the Offaly hospital had eight general beds but no free ICU bed.

In Naas General, there were 17 people with Covid-19 on December 27. It had nine general beds and one ICU beds to call on. The Kildare hospital had nine Covid positive patients on December 1.

Nationally, there were 342 people being treated with Covid-19 in Irish hospitals on December 1. Within less than a month this has doubled to 690 people across the hospital system with 87 new cases confirmed on December 27 alone.

The critical situation facing Portlaoise and other hospitals as the year ends his highlighted further in the Trolley Watch figures published by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation on December 28.

They show that 571 admitted patients were waiting for beds on Wednesday. Of these 456 patients are waiting in the emergency department, while 115 are in wards elsewhere in the hospital. There were 11 patients waiting in Portlaoise hospital.

The health service is experiencing a major wave of admissions due to Covid-19, flu and other respiratory illnesses.

The HSE said it established a National Crisis Management Team (NCMT) to oversee the health service response to the surge of winter virus infections which is expected to bring the highest pressure on the State’s health service that has ever been seen in the coming weeks.

It says this NCMT, which will augment the ongoing Winter Plan work, has met twice this week and will operate throughout the Christmas period.

The HSE explained just before Christmas that with flu and Covid-19 infection and hospitalisation numbers expected to rise very rapidly in the coming few weeks the NCMT, composed of senior health service leadership including representatives of hospital groups and Community Healthcare Organisations, will give national support and guidance to the response of hospitals and community services throughout the country.

“Our services around the country have made and are implementing plans to address the forthcoming pressure”, according to HSE CEO Mr Stephen Mulvany.  “The role of the NCMT will be to give them support and to provide national overview and action when appropriate.”  

Mr Mulvany said: “It is now looking increasingly likely that we will see the demand for health services rising well above anything we have seen before. It is therefore critical that we continue to prepare to the maximum level possible for the projected further surge in demand for services in late December and early January - over and above the current high level of demand. We are working to ensure that every available resource is mobilised and utilised to respond to the needs of our patients who are seeking urgent and emergency care. 

“We would also urge all those eligible for and due to be vaccinated to do so as soon as possible,” he said.

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The HSE says a National Crisis Management Team provides the highest level of escalation of an issue, and brings together senior healthcare leaders with relevant specialists to put national focus on a particular matter.

A statement said the health services are currently facing huge challenges due to the continuing rise in the number of cases of Covid-19, influenza and other respiratory illnesses and the subsequent increasing rates of hospitalisation. 

From our preliminary analysis, the HSE is concerned that they may see over 900 patients in hospital with flu in the first week in January with that number likely continuing to rise further into January.  Regarding Covid-19 and other respiratory viruses, they said they were now seeing a higher number of hospitalised cases this winter than had been anticipated in our more pessimistic projections. 

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The HSE said this surge in respiratory illnesses will seriously impact hospitals and Emergency Departments, and will place primary care services such as GP and GP out-of-hours services under further pressure.

Over the coming period the HSE said it will continue to actively engage with all stakeholders including GPs, their own staff, private hospitals, nursing homes and other relevant partners.  HSE senior leaders will visit hospitals and other healthcare sites around the country over the coming period to see and understand the situation at first hand and to offer support.