The tense staff situation in hospitals is also noticeable in Tyrol. About 20 percent of the beds in the Innsbruck clinic were currently closed. The situation is “very challenging”, but hospital spokespersons, members of the works council and the chairman of the medical association do not see acute care in danger.
“It has become tight lately,” says clinic spokesman Johannes Schwamberger. Planned, non-urgent operations were sometimes postponed, but acute care was in no way jeopardized. The latter applied to all Tyrolean hospitals. However, corresponding national figures outside the hospitals of the state clinics in Tyrol were not available for the time being.
Flexipools offer ‘jumpers’.
Because operating rooms in the day clinic section will be closed from October, relief is expected. The introduction of a “Flexipool” has also proven its worth. This involves a pool of workers that has a flexible schedule and in which employees can be deployed here and there as ‘jumpers’.
The focus of the staff shortage is still in nursing. “The rooms are slightly higher than normal. But nothing happens,” the spokesperson for the Tirol Kliniken summarized. Like all other sectors, healthcare is currently facing a shortage of skilled workers and labor. Another major problem is that many patients are cared for in the clinic who should actually be discharged – but this is not possible due to a lack of home space or the situation at home.
Some areas without problems
“We are up to our noses in water. “It’s breathtaking,” said Birgit Seidl, works councilor of Tirol Kliniken, describing the situation for workers, especially in the nursing sector, to the APA. The outlook for winter is “not satisfactory. “We know very well that we need additional resources that we don’t have yet,” she said. In some cases, two to three full-time nursing posts are missing, although there are also some areas “without problems” – but patient care is maintained, Seidl assured. Like Schwamberger, she did not see a quick solution: “It will take some time before the personnel offensive is implemented.”
The president of the Medical Association was concerned
Stefan Kastner, president of the Tyrolean Medical Association, saw a “significantly deteriorated situation.” If existing structures have to be closed, operating rooms have to be closed and waiting times are extended, that ‘worries’ him. The fact that so-called ‘lighter procedures’ are apparently outsourced from the clinic to peripheral hospitals does not reassure him. The district hospitals would also reach their limits due to the staff situation. Now it is about taking political measures.
Kastner again called for an advisory offensive on the health hotline “1450”. People’s information needs to be urgently intensified. There is a need for more telephone advice and the position of the GP must be strengthened. Kastner again called for a job guarantee for fully trained medical professionals.
Like Schwamberger, Kastner also emphasized that acute care in Tyrol is not in danger. But ‘structural deficiencies’ would now clearly have their revenge.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
