this Morbihan hospital could close its emergency rooms at night

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Reassembled. Angry. Unions South Health et CGT of Central Brittany Hospital Center (CHCB), in Noyal-Pontivy (Morbihan), learned “through a leak” that from December 2, 2024, the emergency department would be completely closed at night, from 8 p.m.

The management, the Regional Health Agency and certain emergency doctors intend to put in place strict regulations. By strict regulation, we mean a closure of the emergency room, with half-call until midnight and a reduction in the beds of the Short-Term Hospitalization Unit (UDCD) to six beds instead of ten.

Emergencies regulated since May 2023

The regulation of emergencies at the Central Brittany Hospital Center is not new.

Since May 2023, emergencies have been punctually regulated at night, on weekends, during bridges or holidays… You must then call 15, which directs patients to another establishment or dispatches the Smur (Mobile Emergency Service resuscitation) in the event of a life-threatening emergency.

At issue: the Rist law

The CHCB has always encountered difficulties in recruiting doctors. To compensate for this deficiency, the hospital center used 40% of temporary doctors (or even 70% in emergencies). But, the situation was completely turned upside down with the application, on the 1^is April 2023, of the Rist law.

This law caps compensation for temporary doctors at 1,170 euros gross per 24 hours of on-call in a public hospital. It also prohibits young graduates from trading their careers through temporary work.

Since the Rist law, temporary doctors have left public hospitals to work in the private sector, where they are better paid.

Two emergency doctors could leave the CHCB

Some CHCB services found themselves without practitioners. This is the case in emergencies: out of the 18 full-time equivalents (FTEs) needed to run this service, there are now only seven FTEs left, to accommodate around 80 people per day.

And it’s not over: according to the two unions, at least two emergency doctors could leave the CHCB by the end of the year.

In a homeopathic dose

“It’s always the same pattern: the ARS begin to accustom the population to homeopathic doses through occasional regulations at night or during the day, then follow occasional closures to arrive at definitive closures at night,” notes Florence. Even, from Sud Santé.

We wonder if the Rist law is not intended to close or reduce the reception capacity of certain emergency services. The health policy pursued by successive governments endangers public hospitals, notably the CHCB. The policy being pursued today suggests that everything has already been mapped out by the ARS and that we are faced with a fait accompli. »

Loss of chance of survival

In the eyes of the unions, the closure of emergency rooms at night will have consequences on other hospitals in the region which will have to accommodate patients from the Pontivy sector. Because they too lack emergency doctors.

The travel time for patients will be longer, which will lead to a loss of chance of survival for people who cannot be accommodated in the Pontivy emergency room. The increase in activity in other emergency services will also lengthen waiting times for the entire population of the territory.

“Behind our backs”

This closure of emergency rooms at night, “implemented behind our backs”, is “a decision with serious consequences, taken without consultation for the staff and for the population. According to management, this has not been done, but we have a big doubt. »

The two unions will be able to express their doubts to the brand new director of the Center Bretagne hospital group, Raphaël Yven, who arrived at the beginning of October 2024. Appointments are set during this month.

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