Updated 09.15 | Published 09.07
The emergency patients lie on cold bunks in corridors without food or the opportunity to go to the toilet.
Now the staff at Danderyd hospital are raising the alarm about the situation – and the threat before Christmas.
– Something has escalated enormously. It’s pure chaos, says chief physician Johan Styrud.
The emergency department at Danderyd Hospital has been hit hard by patients with influenza, covid-19 and the RS virus.
In recent days, the situation has worsened further, according to chief physician Johan Styrud.
– There is enormous pressure and we cannot handle it. There is no staff for the care of patients. To help them on the mug or give them food etcetera. Today has been a terrible day, he says.
The chief doctor says that the hospital management is doing what they can, but that there is no reserve to draw from.
– Planned operations have been canceled to free up care places, but it is not enough. Unfortunately, the pressure is just as hard in other places in Stockholm. Otherwise, people could have been sent to other hospitals. But that option doesn’t exist. We need more open care places, he says.
“Worries me a lot”
Specialist nurse and chief protection officer Jenny Westerlund worries that the situation will worsen further during Christmas and New Year.
– We have had overcrowding all autumn and now we are facing Christmas and New Year where we know that there are often high patient flows. I worry a lot about both the patients and my colleagues.
Jenny Westerlund says that the working environment is “terrible” and that the staff barely have time to take any breaks.
“Don’t hesitate to seek care”
– The employees turn themselves inside out to give the patients the care they need and deserve, but they are not enough. We are forced to always prioritize the most urgent, which means long waiting times for some patients. Many patients are elderly, frail and in great need of care, she says.
At the same time, Jenny Westerlund says that those who are acutely ill should not wait to seek care because of the situation.
– If you are in need of emergency medical care, you should not hesitate to seek medical care, we will always do our utmost for the patients.