PM to meet senior docs as pressure mounts at QEH

Prime Minister Mia Mottley has called an emergency meeting with all medical consultants of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) amid mounting strain on the country’s main healthcare facility, overwhelmed record flu cases, trauma injuries and a surge in chronic disease complications.  

A directive from the Director of Medical Services, Dr Carlos Chase, addressed to “all medical consultant staff”, informed them that the prime minister intends to discuss medical care at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the sole item listed on the agenda.  

“All consultants – full-time, UWI, sessional – are required to attend this meeting on Friday, 16 January, at 9:30 a.m. in the auditorium of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital,” according to the memo, a copy of which has been obtained by Barbados TODAY.  

Dated Wednesday and signed by Dr Chase, the memo added: “All surgeries, clinics and any routine duties are to be arranged accordingly to accommodate attendance at this meeting. Private clinics are to be arranged to accommodate attendance.”  

Dr Chase ended the directive by reiterating that “all consultants are required to attend”. 

On Monday, QEH management revealed to an emergency press conference that the various medical cases coming to the Accident and Emergency Department were pushing daily attendances past 100, prompting emergency measures to manage patient flow.  

Chief Executive Officer Neil Clark told reporters that demand on the emergency room had been “exceptionally high”.  

“Over the last weeks, the department continues to respond to one of the most significant influenza outbreaks in recent history, globally, since COVID-19,” Clark said. “Over the last year, there have been increases in A&E attendances by 8.5 per cent compared to the previous year, which equates to an extra 160 additional patients each month.”  

The situation had worsened following the Christmas holidays, with more patients requiring admission, he added.  

Hospital officials disclosed that 42 confirmed flu cases were recorded in December, the majority of them Influenza A, alongside circulating cases of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and a small number of COVID-19 infections.  

The QEH had activated escalation measures to manage the backlog, including bolstering staffing levels and strengthening bed management and discharge planning, said Clark.  

He added: “We’re supporting staff and filling rotas where illness has affected staff availability, and we’re identifying additional medical and nursing staff to support the current backlog of patients within the A&E department. Our clinical and support teams are working around the clock to maintain safety and flow during this exceptionally busy period.”  

The CEO also addressed public claims that patients were sitting on the floor and that the department was out of control.  

“What may cause some of the confusion is that there are patients on ambulance trolleys, which are lowered closer to the floor for safety reasons. This may create the impression that someone is on the floor, but they are not.”  

Clark also outlined strategies used to prioritise emergency cases.  

“We continue to prioritise the sickest patients through triage so that those with life-threatening conditions are seen first. We continue with our morning daily briefings, implementing escalation measures based on the issues identified each day.”  

Head of the A&E Department, Dr Anne-Marie Cruickshank, confirmed that sustained high patient volumes have prevented staff from clearing the backlog.  

She said: “From Boxing Day to present, we are seeing well over 100 patients a day, with 40 to 60 patients waiting to be seen at a time. Ideally, we would have maybe 15 waiting, but last weekend we had 64 patients waiting alongside ten gunshot wound victims, which was very intense.”  

The department’s ideal intake is between 20 and 30 patients per shift, and the surge has required additional specialist support, Dr Cruickshank noted.  

She explained: “We had to bring back seven resident doctors over consecutive weekends, in addition to increasing nursing and other support staff. All staff groupings were increased to help manage the surge because we work as a team.”  

Specialist doctors have now been assigned to work directly within the A&E department to speed up patient processing and decision-making, she added.  

Instead of consulting specialists by phone, “they will be in the department with us, so as we see relevant patients, we can speak directly to them and assist with the flow,” she said.  

Clark urged the public to reserve the A&E department for genuine emergencies such as chest pain, severe breathing difficulties, major injuries, stroke symptoms, serious bleeding or sudden collapse.  

For minor illnesses and injuries, the hospital chief advised Barbadians to seek care at polyclinics, urgent care centres, private doctors or pharmacies, and to properly manage chronic conditions to reduce the risk of complications.