“Not one bed available anymore. No longer a single doctor, no longer a single caregiver available” The observation is harsh, at the Sens hospital center, but considered “atypical”. “It’s a completely exceptional situation in the bad sense of the word,” adds the director, Véronique Robin, who has taken measures.
In the emergency corridor, the congestion is visible this Thursday, January 9, 2025. Patients are waiting on stretchers, others on chairs. “On January 3, the waiting time before treatment rose to 13 hours,” recognizes the head of the emergency department, Abdenacer Cheikh. “We are draining 100,000 people plus the periphery,” he recalls. And this year we are experiencing a full wave of flu. »
Deprogramming, pooling, bed requisitions…
“The hospital cannot do everything… When I see that the Smur sometimes travels to sign death certificates…”, also points out the emergency doctor, who, like his director, calls for a better distribution of efforts between all those involved in the health. Aline Creuwels, head of the medicine center, speaks of “a medical desert, locally”, pointing out the lack of city doctors.
During this epidemic (flu, covid, bronchiolitis) and winter period, the hospital is experiencing a massive influx of patients leading to saturation of emergency departments and care services. To cope, management triggered the “hospital in tension” system on January 2, then its internal mobilization plan two days later. The organization of care services is therefore modified. In order to ensure patient care and continuity of care, specific internal mobilization led to deprogramming surgery, pooling teams and increasing the capacity of medical beds by requisitioning beds usually dedicated to surgery. The medical day hospital service has been stopped. Finally, a home nursing service will be launched on Monday. Here too, it should make it possible to relieve the establishment.
“Don’t come to the emergency room for nothing”
This week, ten operations were canceled. The patients concerned will be operated on later. “Only emergency surgical and oncology operations are being maintained,” explains Véronique Robin.
Five doctors and eight nurses work in the emergency room during the day. “In the current situation, on a daily basis, everyone demonstrates great professionalism” estimate the executives. Until then, the white plan, a superior device, has been avoided.
The crisis could last several more weeks. The proximity, the intimacy that it creates in the emergency room, is worrying. “The patients who are on stretchers, we have to hydrate them, take them to the toilet…”, says Abdenacer Cheikh, who is worried since “a case of meningitis was noted recently”.
Management calls for awareness. “We shouldn’t come to the emergency room for nothing. We also recommend calling 15 before coming. Patients should contact their GP or pharmacies,” advises Véronique Robin.
Vaccination against flu and Covid, particularly for those over 60, is also recommended. Wearing a mask is mandatory in the hospital. A crisis meeting is held there every day, taking the pulse of a feverish establishment.
