For several weeks, the Pierre-Janet psychiatric hospital in Le Havre (Seine-Maritime) has been facing an alarming situation. The reason? A particularly difficult and potentially dangerous patient was admitted to her services. Known for many years, already spent within these walls, her reputation now precedes her, and is confirmed in her actions: “In one crisis, she injured several hospital workers and caused nine work stoppages”, relates Yann Adreit, departmental secretary of the Sud Santé-Sociaux union. Shocked, the staff filed a collective complaint on this occasion. “It is not a question of overwhelming this patient,” tempers the union representative, “but of showing that the situation is not tenable within the unit. It takes at least five agents to supervise him while there are only seven at all times. Everyone is under tension and these are all resources that are not made available to other patients.”
As reported by the Actu.fr site, his organization wrote a few days ago to the management of the Le Havre Hospital Group (GHH), as well as to the Regional Health Agency (ARS), the Ministry of Health and the local elected officials, notably Édouard Philippe, mayor of Le Havre and president of the GHH supervisory board, in order to alert them to the situation. “What should we do today when colleagues come in fear? (Threats, insults, insults, death threats are daily occurrences…),” asks this letter that we consulted. “The team, exhausted both physically and psychologically, afraid, cannot and no longer wants to take care of her. »
For everyone, placement in an establishment with a Unit for Difficult Patients (UMD) is essential. Except that, even if, as the GHH management confirms, the application for admission has been sent, “it can take from 6 weeks to 6 months before having a place”, regrets Yann Adreit. He insists that the situation be resolved before the end of the year.
In the meantime, the hospital assures that it has taken measures to try to improve it by strengthening “medical care, with the participation of a second doctor in monitoring the patient”, by offering the teams “support medical and psychological by the occupational health service and exchange times” and the possibility “for caregivers who express the wish to be relayed by other volunteer professionals from other pavilions”.
A transfer of the patient to another pavilion was considered for a time, but according to the management of the GHH this option “would risk destroying the fragile improvement in her state of health”. A point on which caregivers and union do not agree.
More broadly, Yann Adreit is concerned that such a situation will discourage hospital staff already suffering, and in particular new arrivals. “We have had some recruitments recently. This is a positive signal, even if their numbers are still far from sufficient. But if a quick response is not provided to this extreme case, we risk simply driving them away! »
