Several emergency hospital services temporarily closed across France
A shortage of staff has caused closures or service restrictions in hospitals including centres in Dordogne, Provence, and Brittany
Some hospital centres and emergency services are currently closed or have reduced hours in France
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Several emergency hospital services in France - across five regions, including Nouvelle-Aquitaine and Provence - have temporarily closed for the next few weeks due to a lack of staff.
Major closures include (not an exhaustive list; please check your local services before attending):
Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Emergency department at Sarlat hospital, Dordogne: Has been closed since August 13, and will not reopen until 08:30 on August 15, due to the lack of an emergency doctor (both are ill).
La Rochelle-Ré-Aunis hospital group and the Rochefort hospitals, Charente-Maritime: Regulated access to paediatric emergency departments from June 26 until September 15. Between 20:00 and 08:00, patients are requested to call the centre 15 minutes before they arrive, so that it can direct them to the most appropriate solution.
Saintes hospital, Charente-Maritime: Paediatric emergency services have been closed since August 12, from 17:00 to 09:00, at weekends, and on jours fériés. This is due to a shortage of paediatricians and the increased activity over the summer period.
Yet “the situation has improved [in Dordogne] compared to last year,” said Didier Couteaud, director of the Dordogne Agence Régionale de Santé, to France Bleu Périgord.
“‘From January to the end of July 2023, we had around 60 days of suspensions and closures, compared with 23 this year,” he said.
He acknowledged that the situation in emergency departments was “complicated” at departmental level, “particularly in Périgueux”.
Brittany
People are requested to call 15 before coming to the hospital although gynaecological and paediatric emergencies are not affected by this measure.
Provence-Alpes-Côte D'Azur
- Emergency services at Carpentras hospital, Vaucluse: Only open from 8.30 to 13:30 for the next three months
Only life-threatening emergencies, and gynaecological and obstetric emergencies will be admitted.
Patients are advised to call the emergency number 15 before coming in, or to go through their GP or closest medical centre before coming to the hospital.
Pays de la Loire
- Emergency department in Laval: Open six nights (not seven) in September
- Emergency department in Bailleul, Sarthe: Closed on weekends in August, on bank holidays (jours fériés) and every night from 23:00 to 08:30
- Emergency department in Ancenis: Closed every day from 16:00 to 08:30
- Emergency clinic in Anjou: Closed overnight for 15 nights in August.
- Emergency services in Montaigu, Vendée: Closed from July 13 to August 19.
In a statement, a Laval association that campaigns against ‘medical deserts’ said that the emergency department had been closed for 22 nights in July, and will be for 18 nights in August.
Read also: Eight facts to understand France’s issue of ‘medical deserts’
Similarly, in Sarthe, the FO Santé union said that the Anjou clinic had also been closed for 15 nights in July.
The union has also said that the closure of clinics and hospital departments is having a negative knock-on effect on other already-under-pressure hospital sites in the area, as patients look elsewhere for treatment.
It warned of “a drastic drop in access to care, with the lack of doctors and nurses being the cause of hundreds of closures of beds in the region, and thousands of beds [nationally]”.
Read also: How can I find out which parts of France are lacking doctors?
Read also: Seven questions about ‘medical deserts’ in France
Grand Est
Hospital centres with restrictions include:
- Centre Hospitalier de Briey (Meurthe-et-Moselle).
- Centre Hospitalier de Saint-Avold (Moselle)
The Briey hospital temporarily suspended emergency services from 16:00 on July 30 to 09:00 on July 31. Maternity and birth services were suspended from 23:00 on July 18 to 8.30 on Saturday July 20 due to a lack of medical staff.
At Saint-Avold, the centre changed access to its emergency services on the nights of August 2 and 3 from 18:00 to 08:00, advising the public to check before arriving.
What if I need emergency care during a time that a hospital is closed?
Call the emergency number (the SAMU) on 15. They can advise whether emergency medical care is necessary, and if so, where to go.
