Since Monday, only vital emergencies are handled in this facility.
Tense situation at the Saint-Joseph hospital. Already under tension in a period of triple epidemic of Covid, flu and bronchiolitis, since Monday the emergencies of the hospital center in the 8th arrondissement of Marseille have been operating in degraded mode due to the lack of nurses.
Physically and mentally exhausted, six of the seven emergency room nurses did not return to work on Monday, placed on sick leave. A situation on which the staff has been alerting the management to no avail for several weeks.
“Emergency reception is regulated with a reception, by the on-site team, of patients who cannot be referred and a referral to other facilities or nursing homes for patients when possible”, explains the management of the facility in a statement.
36 patients treated
On Monday, “36 patients were thus able to be treated and hospitalized in case of need, or about 40% of the usual activity”, continued the hospital management.
To deal with this emergency situation, a crisis unit was set up inside the hospital with a twice-weekly frequency, pending a return to normality.
“We still don’t have visibility on the recovery of employees”, specifies the Marseille plant, however.
Almost all hospital staff support absent colleagues. They ask for a salary increase, but also for more staff.
Because in addition to the absent nurses, Saint-Joseph Emergencies are facing an increase in the number of patients, also due to the redirection of patients from the Timone hospital, which is also understaffed.
In one evening, the emergency room of Saint-Joseph welcomed 50 patients, for just three nurses and three carers. In 24 hours, almost 120 patients showed up, compared to the usual 80.
A situation reminiscent of the emergencies of Thionville, in the Moselle, where 55 nurses and orderlies out of 59 were eventually placed on sick leave. The staff there denounce the deterioration of working conditions and the lack of staff which can pose a significant risk for hospitalized patients.
