Emergencies remain open but extremely fragile

Health. The Chaumont (and Langres) hospital manages to preserve its emergency rooms and the SMUR during the summer period thanks to the use of substitute practitioners even if the situation remains extremely fragile. However, the transfer SMUR will be canceled for several nights.

Like everywhere else, the emergencies of the hospital of Chaumont (and Langres) will suffer, this summer, from a lack of practitioners. However, Camille Duquennoy, delegate director of the hospital center, announces, for Chaumont and for Langres, “the maintenance of the medical line of emergencies and the primary SMUR” for the months of July and August.

The director speaks of maximum anticipation of the situation to avoid temporary closures or during the nights as in other hospitals in France. This anticipation was made thanks to the mobilization of incumbent practitioners and managers in charge of planning.

Emergencies preserved for now

She explains that the hospital regularly resorts to medical temporary work in normal times and that in summer, it is more complicated to set it up knowing that “the regular replacements also take leave”. But, the use of substitutes made it possible to preserve the essentials, to complete the schedule and so that “emergencies remain open throughout the summer even if they remain extremely fragile”.

Among the solutions adopted, Camille Duquennoy evokes the hiring of “acting as interns” (FFI). They come from other establishments such as Dijon and are former Chaumont interns currently on internship with the Liberals. These people who come to carry out guards have made it possible to plug the holes in the schedule.

A paradoxical chance

The other chance that allowed the hospital to get by this summer is, paradoxically, its size. Being smaller than average, it has fewer medical beds to cover and the use of replacements and temporary workers has created habits and registrations during the summer.

That said, one problem remains: the transfer SMUR which allows patients to go from establishment to establishment (Saint-Dizier, Reims, Dijon, Langres, Chaumont, Troyes, etc.) and which is managed by Chaumont for the entire department. The hospital thus takes care of the medical lines permanently and will not be able to do so in full during the summer.

Night problems

Camille Duquennoy announces that nights will not be covered. “Transfers will be organized differently with, for example, Dijon which will pick up the sick, the use of helicopters or private transfers. The first consequence is that patients will be kept longer at their original site before going to the right establishment.

This choice made it possible to preserve vital emergencies and especially the SMUR during the summer but, as the deputy director repeats, “we provide medical lines but our concern is great if one of the practitioners lets go”.

Frédéric Thévenin

f.thevenin@jhmfr

The Covid-19 risk on healthcare professionals

Covid-19 had disappeared from the hospital during the month of May and a few cases reappeared during June with very few hospitalizations. The hospital center remains vigilant in the face of a possible rebound and patient care is provided within existing services and with additional hygiene measures.

But the fear is more at the level of health professionals. As the establishment will operate in extremely tight flow in July and August, the contamination of one of them can destroy everything.

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