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Toothfairy sighting at Mayo General Hospital

A toothfairy-like figure appears to be haunting Mayo General Hospital, tip-toeing around wards – sorry, around trolleys and chairs – where patients sleep, leaving notes under their pillows apologising for the conditions at the hospital.

It may not make up for actually having a bed, but it's better than listening to the usual rumblings from Harney and crew about how ED departments have improved and how we don't need more beds and how - even though you're probably listening to this as you lie squashed onto a trolley in a corridor - things are great.

The anonymous letter that was placed under all pillows - apparently written by a frustrated nurse or junior doctor - apologised for the "shantytown" conditions and also said:

Yesterday evening (January 7) the Temporary Adult Ward (TAW) in this hospital was closed. This ward has the capacity for 15 patients. Ten on trolleys, and five beds. This means that the great majority of you could have spent the night with a higher degree of privacy, sanitary conditions and nursing care," continued the letter. It appears that hospital management has taken this decision to save itself a small amount of money at the expense of your dignity and safety. Should you feel this situation is unacceptable and choose to complain, I hope you get some satisfactory answers.

Considering the chance of anyone getting satisfactory answers is slim to zero, I hope the next step is staff anonymously playing pranks on hospital management. Swopping their desk chairs for trolleys, maybe.

Posted in Hospital Medicine on 22 January 2008
Tags: HSE, trade unions