135 patients at Causeway ED in just 24 hours

Figures published by the Northern Health and Social Care Trust also show that 135 patients attended the department at Causeway Hospital in Coleraine during the same period between midnight on March 22 and midnight the following day.

At midday on Thursday, there were 88 patients waiting in the casualty department at Antrim and 41 in Causeway. Forty-nine were waiting for a bed at Antrim Hospital and 14 at Causeway.

At Antrim, 37 patients had been waiting up to four hours; ten, four to eight hours; three, eight to 12 hours and 38, more than 12 hours. Twenty-four had been waiting up to four hours at Causeway; one, four to eight hours; one, eight to 12 hours and 15, more than 12 hours.

Speaking at a meeting of the Trust board last Thursday morning, chief executive Jennifer Welsh told members that she is “fully cognisant of challenges for all staff who work in the Emergency Departments”.

She acknowledged that staff are continuing to meet the needs of patients and provide the best possible care in difficult circumstances.

Referring to a “bed deficit” at Antrim Hospital, she highlighted a plan to secure an additional 48 beds before next winter.

Audrey Harris, interim director of Medicine and Emergency Medicine, went on to say that pressure on the Trust’s acute hospitals is “relentless”.

“The challenge for us is capacity. We have looked at every efficiency. We have seen an increase in admission on both sites. When running at 100 per cent occupancy, every detail matters. It is a very intense department for everybody on site.

“Ambulance turnaround is is a challenge for our staff. It remains a challenge.”

Board member Glenn Houston asked if people waiting more than 12 hours are accommodated on a “bed, trolley or hard seat”.

Interim director of Operations Wendy Magowan said: “If someone requires a bed, they will not be on a trolley, they will be on a bed.

“We are seeing patients sadly over the last couple of months who are waiting in corridors again.”

Younger patients may wait on recliner chairs.

Members were reminded that patients are prioritised in order of need not on a “first come first served basis”.