The Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA) has issued a directive, operational from the beginning of September, that patients awaiting transfer to wards of Tallaght Hospital should not be placed on trolleys in corridors around the Adult Emergency Department of the hospital. In a subsequent statement, Children in Hospital Ireland (CHI) has called for all hospital managers to take note of the HIQA directive on trolleys in ED corridors.
In addition to addressing clinical needs, the CHI says the directive shows respect for the dignity of the adults and children who attend emergency departments in Tallaght Hospital. A statement from CHI states that the organisation has been greatly concerned about the impact the practice has had on children and parents attending the adjacent Children’s Emergency Department.’
A national voluntary organisation, Children in Hospital Ireland (CHI) is one of Ireland’s leading children’s charities, promoting the welfare of all children in hospital regardless of illness or condition. CHI has worked for over 40 years in promoting the emotional and developmental needs of sick children, and providing opportunities for play in hospital.
Mary O’Connor, CHI’s CEO, said “In recent years parents have told us how upsetting – even frightening – it is for sick children on their way to the paediatric A&E department to pass along these corridors where patients – often elderly – lie on trolleys.
“During the planning for this hospital, Children in Hospital Ireland worked hard to ensure the separation of the two departments so that children would not be subjected to inappropriate sights and sounds. The arrangement whereby adults have been placed on the public corridors, particularly close to the access to the children’s department, negates good practice in this area,” said Ms O’Connor.
Statistics from CHI show that an average of 270,000 Irish children visit hospital each year, with 150,000 of these visits lasting an average of three nights. 75,000 of Irish child inpatients are under four years of age.
“Tallaght is not the only hospital where children attending EDs are in close proximity with sick adults. While good practice calls for separation of child and adult patients, it seldom happens in Irish Emergency Departments,” said Ms O’Connor. “CHI hopes that managers in all hospitals throughout the country will take note of the spirit of the HIQA directive and ensure that the dignity of adults and children is respected.”
