10:32 a.m. – Modified: 10:41 a.m. by Emilie PLANTARD
Credit: C. Jouannet CHU Angers
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Less in demand, hospitals generally take advantage of the summer to reorganize beds and send caregivers on vacation. But the context of 2022 complicates this summer planning and the return of the Covid does not help… In Angers, the concern is palpable.
Every summer, the CHU d’Angers takes advantage of a drop in activity to temporarily close beds and facilitate the departure of nursing staff on vacation. This involves revising the internal mobilization plan, in coordination with a bed management unit. Except that this year, after 2 years of health crisis, the context is very different. Arnaud Pouillart, Deputy Director General of the CHU d’Angers explains that “cWhat is special is that the job market for paramedics is tight and it is difficult to recruit contract workers for the summer. We also see that activity in the emergency room has been sustained for a few weeks and therefore in this context, this can create tension.
ER traffic is already increasing
Summer is approaching and hospital caregivers should take the opportunity to breathe a little after 2 years of intense activity. A wave of usual leave, but which requires that the services close beds to ensure continuity of care, especially in the emergency room. In Angers, an internal mobilization plan has therefore been initiated, the hospital management plans to maintain around 80% of the reception capacity at the height of the summer, but it fears that it will not be enough. “Every summer, says Arnaud Pouillart, for example, in the surgery departments, we reserve a few beds for patients who come under the medical profession and who are in the emergency room. It’s done every year. The uncertainty we have is that usually, activity in the emergency room drops during the summer period, this year we don’t know. In a context of stress and weariness after 2 years of Covid crisis.
By way of comparison, the emergency department of the CHU d’Angers recorded an average of 260 visits per day in June compared to an average of 219 in June 2019. The waiting time there is currently estimated at 4:57.
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Credit: Emilie Plantard
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Call before going to the emergency room!
It is therefore the attendance of the emergency department that will condition the proper functioning of the CHU this summer. In Angers, Cholet and Poitiers, the service is maintained, this will not be the case in Ancenis for example. But it is better to call before going there. This is the advice of Professor Dominique Savary, head of the emergency department and SAMU in Angers: “Yes, we are going to live a special summer, we are all worried about that. We prepare by giving messages to call before coming to the emergency room, we have chosen to go through 15 or 116117, we will be less in terms of staff and it is a reorganization of the service to stay open day and night, all summer on the 3 emergency services of Maine-et-Loire.”
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Credit: Emilie Plantard
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The Covid worry
The lack of staff inevitably creates tension around the operation of hospitals, and the strong comeback of the Covid adds concern. At this point, it’s unclear whether the new variants and subvariants are particularly dangerous, but they could increase the flow of emergency room patients this summer. Dr Guillaume Bouhours is vice-president of the medical commission of establishment at the CHU of Angers, he explains that “this increase in the incidence rate has not yet translated into a high hospitalization rate. Nevertheless, over the past 15 days, we have had more patients hospitalized with Covid for another pathology, but we are also seeing the reappearance of patients hospitalized for Covid reasons. And that’s worrying, especially since they are fragile patients.”
As of June 21, the incidence rate in the Maine-et-Loire department stood at 346 cases per 1,000 inhabitants, all ages combined. It is 407 among the over 65s.
To apply to hospitals in Maine-et-Loire, you can do so online at https://www.chu-angers.fr/le-chu-angers/chu-employeur/offres-et-concours-recrutement-et-carriere/
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Credit: Emilie Plantard
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