there is a lack of beds and doctors

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« Epsylan covers 55% of the territory in Loire-Atlantique, which represents approximately 365,000 inhabitants. There is very few liberal psychiatrists in this territory (two or three). It is the public hospital, therefore Epsylan, which is the main referent,” warns Nicolas OudaertChairman of the Supervisory Board of CHS of Blain (Loire-Atlantique).

Alert in this Loire-Atlantique hospital: there is a shortage of beds and doctors

“Since the second half of 2022, sick leave and departures of doctors follow one anotherleading to rapid decline, bed closures. How to stop the process? », he asks.

Epsylan is went from 74 to 20 beds in three years“which does not make it possible to meet the needs of the territory”. The chairman of the supervisory board believes that the maintaining the last unit d’admission becomes a symbol.

While some of the patients are taken care of by the University Hospital which makes beds available, Yves Praud, director at Epsylan indicates that “in October, November and December 2024, reinforcements from Daumezon and the CHU are helping us with the equivalent of 1.3 FTE (full-time equivalent) doctors.”

Staff are exhausted and worried

The director agrees that an establishment in difficulty is less attractive“but we must be able to stem the shortage of doctors. Currently there is six ETP while the ideal number is 19 for an establishment such as Epsylan”.

Nicolas Oudaert points a exhausted and worried staff and an establishment dependent on others.

The ARS requested a departmental audit on the state of psychiatry. The conclusions are expected by the end of 2024 / beginning of 2025 and would make it possible to establish a departmental roadmap.

Several scenarios for reception capacity

Concerning Epsylan, 40 beds would meet the needs of the territory without sending patients to other establishments. Several possible scenarios listed during this press conference.

And scenario deemed correct would be the maintenance 40 beds. ” SO reopen 20 with the help of other establishments. »

And average scenario would be to “maintain a unit of 20 beds + opening of 20 other beds for sequential hospitalizations (short stays). »

The worst case scenario would be there closing the last unitno more hospitalization admissions, 100% outpatient activity.

This would lead to a deterioration in patient care.

“Whatever the scenario, it has to be a collective movement with the other establishments of GHT 44 and the ARS. »

Nicolas Oudaert invites the other presidents of Supervisory Boards (CHU, Daumezon and St Nazaire) to meet so that this alarming situation is also taken to a political level.

“The psychiatric sector is abandoned”

In the meantime, the president aims to report on the emergency situation and to know what response is desired at the department level.

“In general, there is a fairly marked abandonment of the psychiatric sector. Loire-Atlantique is under-resourced in psychiatrists and child psychiatrists compared to the national level. The Prime Minister, Michel Barnier, announced that mental health would be the great national cause of 2025we are waiting for results,” says the Chairman of the Supervisory Board, full of expectations for the future.

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