14,000 patients in the Midwest have been referred from their GP to the region’s main hospital through the Bed Bureau in the past twelve months.
The Bed Bureau is a system established by the UL Hospitals Group, which sees GP’s contact a central point and a decision is made on which hospital the patient should travel to.
It was set up as part of efforts to reduce long waits and the high level of overcrowding in the emergency department at University Hospital Limerick.
The Hospital says the initial phase of the initiative has worked better than expected and efforts will now turn towards ensuring that the Bed Bureau facilitates patient triage from primary care and not from the floor of ED.
According to Prof Declan Lyons, Clinical Director, Medicine, and Consultant in Geriatric Medicine, UL Hospitals Group: “The Bed Bureau provides a structured methodology for accessing acute hospital care from primary care. It offers the best mechanism for minimising the risk of an ED trolley wait by providing alternative access points to the hospital network other than ED. The initial phase of this initiative has worked better than expected and we now need to turn our efforts to ensuring that the Bed Bureau facilitates patient triage from primary care and not from the floor of ED.”
Dr Tony Cox, Fergus Medical Centre, Ennis has said “I suppose I am one of those GPs who was sceptical about the introduction of the Bed Bureau. In County Clare we had enjoyed an excellent relationship with Dr Tom Peirce and the Medical Assessment Unit team in Ennis. We feared that this close working relationship would be jeopardised by the introduction of the dedicated Limerick number for the Bed Bureau. I was one of those who resisted the change most vehemently and who insisted in using the old Ennis number until such time as it no longer was in use. I felt that I needed to support my loyal local MAU and the team working there”
He goes on to say that “I have found that my misgivings have all proven to have been unnecessary. The service has actually improved with the introduction of the Bed Bureau. The dedicated number is answered instantly by a friendly member of staff. I have become friendly with some of the staff and in particular I have found the professional and caring approach of Jim, Angela and team to be most helpful and considerate. The service is speedy and efficient. The staff member offers me the most efficient & effective time slot that they have available”.
“Its a win-win situation for my patients and I am happy to endorse the service as it improves my patient’s journey and provides me with an effective , friendly and dependable service that I can rely on to deliver” he concluded.
