Emergency services: a third of public hospitals operated at a reduced capacity this summer, slightly less than in 2024

The number of summer closures was lower: 12% of establishments had to close at least once, compared to 18% in 2024. While "hospitals and public establishments held firm during the summer [...] the tensions they face have not disappeared. Quite the contrary, they have been reinforced by the particularly intense heatwaves," declared FHF General Delegate Zaynab Riet at a press conference. Because "summer reveals in an amplified and recurring way the fragilities of our health system, particularly in emergency rooms," she observed.

Insufficient availability of beds (in medicine-surgery-obstetrics, medical and rehabilitation care, psychiatry) and the lack of medical staff remain the main difficulties identified in the smooth running of emergency departments during the summer, given the closure of other emergency departments in their area. "While they remain high, these indicators are, for some, slightly improving compared to 2024," the FHF pointed out.

Faced with these difficulties, recourse to overtime and additional working time, then to temporary staff and finally reorientation via 15 or arrival at the emergency room remain the main tools. "The pressure on emergency services during the summer is accentuated by gaps in territorial solidarity," deplores the FHF, which is calling in particular for better organization in the regions to "refocus resources on the establishments that provide the bulk of care, particularly on-call care."