At some of the biggest hospitals in the State, there are problems with patient movement and decision-making, according to Health Minister Stephen Donnelly, reports Breaking News.
Mr. Donnelly stated that in order to address capacity limitations, reforms were required, such as a rise in weekend releases.
In an interview with reporters on Friday, the Minister stated that a seven-day-a-week service was necessary.
He said: “The answer to this is two things: capacity and reform. The clinicians have said to me many times, ‘we need more beds, we need more healthcare professionals’,” reports Breaking News.
“We’ve added a lot of beds, we’ve added over 1,000 beds, more beds are going to come online this year. I am looking for an additional 1,500 beds through a rapid-build programme, but that’s not enough. There must be reform. So, we can only be adding capacity and more beds if we’re also seeing a move to seven-days-a-week weekend discharge and very effective patient flow,” reports Breaking News.
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