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The usual activities had resumed one by one, after the holidays and the new priorities. In the region, there was talk of queues corresponding to 13,000 operations and 10,000 visits. Now they would be herded.
But the same virus that caused the queues to grow rapidly caused operations to be rescheduled during the last week of October.
– Now there will be an intense period again, says Ann-Marie Wennberg, hospital director at Sahlgrenska University Hospital.
READ MORE: Duplication in several places: this is the situation of the crown in Västra Götaland
The infection is increasing rapidly in the region.
In mid-October, the need for covid-19 care reached its lowest level since the start of the pandemic. Perhaps it would not be a suitable second wave?
A few days later, the number of crown patients had doubled at Sahlgrenska. Two weeks later, it had doubled again.
The hospital management has intensified its meetings and the anti-pandemic group that was working continuously, despite the decline, as well. The preparation has existed even though the rapid rise was not entirely expected for anyone.
– Is this what they say is a second wave? Will it go down and then maybe even go up by a third and maybe a quarter? None of us can predict the future there.
Ann-Marie Wennberg is connected via Skype. After local restrictions were introduced in Västra Götaland, Sahlgrenska decided to redirect the physical interview to a digital visit, something that has become increasingly common even in healthcare.
Better material availability now
But even though this year’s digital shift has been praised by health officials, not all the changes have been painless.
During the ascent of the spring crown, he said that the then lack of material was “almost a scandal”. Now that sustainability looks so much better, he says.
At the same time, the health personnel at Sahlgrenska have shown great fatigue. Overtime in intensive care units (IVA) has become more than normal and, for some, has turned into unintentionally shortened vacations.
Now the spread of the infection is on the rise again, and the people who were called “heroes” in the spring may again have to be in the forefront.
– Our employees have been involved and had a really bad time this spring. Since then, it has gone down during the end of the summer and during the fall. You are tired, you are prepared and we must have great respect for that. And now it comes again, if we say so. Now it is important to bring it with you and make sure we do it in the best possible way.
Tired and exhausted healthcare staff
As president of the government-appointed National Care Competence Council, staffing issues are particularly familiar to the director of the Sahlgrenska hospital.
How much stronger will the medical staff be now and in the long term?
– This is the great challenge for which we must have great respect and make sure that the skills that are available, we have different skills, are used in the right way. May we eliminate this with over-administration and more, so you have time for patient-centered work. And that we have the right person in the right place.
– We also review teamwork, how different skills can be useful to each other. This is something we saw that worked well in the spring.
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Perseverance is a challenge
The experiences of spring are many and important, he says, especially when it comes to working more efficiently.
Then it was also a matter of climbing in a short time. Among other things, 1,300 people were quickly trained for new tasks. About half were trained to enter VAT, where regular staff received heavy responsibility.
Is the same staff allowed to step in now or how is staffing resolved?
– That is what we are seeing now, and we need all funds to be available.
Relief and efficiency are seen as keys. At the same time, the pandemic is not over for the foreseeable future.
– We are talking about perseverance and that is the challenge for us.
Do you think everyone can handle it?
– We have great confidence in our competent employees, at the same time that we must respect the tough task. We must help everyone.
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It received internal criticism in the spring.
Green military tents were in the spotlight when cohesion switched to internal combat in the spring. In the Sahlgrenska pandemic plan, there was a field hospital, which the Armed Forces helped build.
But criticism of the quality of care at the field hospital was harsh. Among other things, it came from various chief doctors. At the same time that the indoor facilities were felt to be empty, seriously ill Covid-19 patients were cared for at the store. For Ann-Marie Wennberg, it was a crisis of confidence during an intense pandemic.
– We listen to our employees all the time and accept the opinions that arise. It is also part of our work, where we have also seen how we have been able to make certain changes. Among other things, to change our pandemic plan, which in the meantime has changed in different ways, he says and continues:
– What is also a challenge at the hospital level is balance, weighing the whole situation and looking at it in its entirety. A solution that may be excellent in one commercial area may not fit in another commercial area. Therefore, it is important, at the level of the whole hospital, to observe the whole.
How will you work now to get everyone moving in the same direction?
– Is to include and really have the business in mind. The activities for us, in a university hospital, are health, research, education and development. That always goes hand in hand.
– It is also where you can see that you can make improvements. That is, we incorporate new findings and can quickly bring them to the clinic. In this way, we can achieve many things that can also make it easier.
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Stresses that advice should be followed
The spread of covid-19 is increasing rapidly again in Västra Götaland.
How concerned are you about development?
– I must emphasize that everyone must follow the rules and regulations that exist. I may be concerned about how people behave in society. So this is exactly what resistance is all about. Not knowing what it will be like and how long it will last is difficult. At the same time, this is who we are now, and here we must be helped in every possible way. We have also learned a lot during the period that it has been, so it is important, in the midst of the terrible, to take advantage of the positive things.
Cancer queues have been shortened in Sahlgrenska, amid a pandemic, emphasizes Ann-Marie Wennberg. At the same time, a new corona wave arrives without anyone knowing how high it is.
– No one can predict the future, but we will also manage it.
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