University Hospital Waterford has received funding for 30 beds in a private nursing home in Dungarvan in an effort to alleviate overcrowding.
General Manager Grace Rothwell says when a patient has been deemed medically fit for discharge at UHW they will be asked to avail of a bed in the new Care Choice Nursing Home in Dungarvan.
"Care Choice are opening new beds. They were having a HIQA inspection yesterday and should be in a position to accept patients from us from next Monday the 13th of January.
"When we talk about our inpatients here we would always carry a level of what we call delayed transfers of care. These are patients whose acute care episode has been completed but, they do require a step-down, convalescence or perhaps an element of rehab.
"Given the pressures that we have as an acute facility in terms of attendances at our Emergency Department, requirements for surgery, our acute beds are precious and we need to maximise and optimise the use of our acute beds."
Grace Rothwell explains why Dungarvan was chosen.
"Dungarvan is the facility that we were made aware of that has new beds.
"I'm certainly unaware of any other facility in the greater Waterford area where there is that volume of new beds coming on stream."
Dunmore Wing
The Dunmore Wing was handed over to the HSE last April. The top three floors are made up of 24 single ensuite isolation rooms adding up to a total of 72 beds available for patients.
Oncology and haematology patients moved into the top floor in December.
Grace Rothwell says they would need considerable staffing increase to open the remaining two floors.
"At the moment we haven't got the staff, it would take us some time to recruit.
"We had a nursing open day at the end of December and 78 people presented on that day expressing interest to come and work at University Hospital Waterford.
"We hope to be in a very positive position in a few months time but recruitment does take a number of months. People have to give notice where they are, there are Garda clearance requirements, it's quite a lengthy process.
"Unfortunately, we're not in a position to open the additional beds in the Dunmore Wing in the immediate but these beds in Dungarvan are available from next Monday so in the interest of patients that's the preferred choice at the moment."
