Cayman’s Health Services Authority says it has seen an “increase in patient demand for hospital beds in recent months” prompting implementation of measures to free up beds until more capacity can be added.
The management and board of the HSA, in a response Friday to queries on the availability of beds at the Cayman Islands Hospital, said plans to address the increasing demand were included in the 2023 strategic plan prepared in January this year.
According to the HSA statement, there are short- to medium-term strategies to increase capacity by 25% in the medical and surgical wards; expand treatment bays in the Accident and Emergency Department by 33%; and relocate the Ambulatory Care Unit, converting it to a “23-hour ward”, which will reduce “the need for inpatient admission of surgical day cases”.
No specific cause behind the demand for beds has been identified, though the growth in Cayman’s population has added to the strain on local health infrastructure, including the 127 beds available at the Cayman Islands Hospital.
In 2022, Cayman’s population stood at 81,546 – up by 10,441 people since the 2021 census tally of 71,105.
The HSA team acknowledged the population rise and its accompanying challenges, saying that its broader programme “involves a focus on preventative and well-care efforts to reduce the incidences and need for hospitalisation; these measures will buy us time to pursue a broader infrastructure agenda that will enable the provision of bed spaces to meet the population growth needs”.
The execution of the HSA’s strategic plans, it said, has been proceeding throughout the year with administrative staff who previously worked at the main hospital being relocated to Citrus Grove “to make way for the bed expansion plans”.
Additionally, it said, the construction of the new Ambulatory Care Unit, commencing this month, and phase 2 of the A&E expansion programme, to begin early next year, will add to efforts to reduce strain on the George Town facility.
The HSA team noted that the “planning approval, procurement, and coordination of its plans take time” so in the interim it has created a discharge lounge as a short-term means to free up beds.
The lounge “allows patients who are discharged from the hospital to have a comfortable waiting area while they await pickup, and rooms are prepared for the next admission,” according to the HSA statement.
The HSA added that its team also works in partnership with other government agencies to ensure hospital beds are reserved for ill patients who need those beds, “instead of persons in hospital for social reasons”.
It also “utilises HSA’s courtesy transportation to take patients home more quickly following discharge and are in the process of expanding home visits and other provisions to reduce pressures on the main hospital”.
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