Northern Ireland Department of Health apologises to patients as services face 'severe pressure'

In a statement issued on Sunday, the Department warned that health and social care services continue to experience ‘severe pressure’.

The number of winter-related illnesses is both adding to the demand for care and reducing the number of healthcare staff available to work.

At 5pm on Sunday, all of Northern Ireland’s Emergency Departments were reporting lengthy waiting times.

The longest average waiting time was in Antrim Area Hospital at 371 minutes.

The waiting times at other Emergency Departments at 5pm were:

• Mater Hospital – 128 minutes
• Royal Victoria Hospital – 185 minutes
• Royal Children’s Hospital – 112 minutes
• Causeway Area Hospital – 108 minutes
• Craigavon Area Hospital – 131 minutes
• Daisy Hill Hospital – 130 minutes
• Ulster Hospital – 223 minutes
• Altnagelvin Area Hospital – 113 minutes
• South West Acute Hospital – 198 minutes

Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said he is being regularly updated on the pressures and paid tribute to staff for their “outstanding” work.

"I warned several weeks ago that the Health and Social Care (HSC) system was again facing a very difficult winter period. Winter preparedness plans were of course developed but they were always going to mitigate the pressures rather than eradicate them. Serious challenges are also being experienced in neighbouring health services, with flu cases a significant contributory factor,” the Minister said.

"I am assured that everything that can be done by the HSC system in the current situation is being done. Longer term solutions require both investment and reform to increase capacity and ensure services can better meet the needs of our community.”

The Department statement said the system is ‘working extremely hard’ to care for patients and priority will always be given to cases that are immediately life threatening.

"We all owe a great debt of gratitude to staff,” it said.

"The Department, on behalf of the health and social care system, apologises to all patients who are waiting longer than they should and thanks patients and families for their continuing co-operation. We would appeal to the public to please be patient with staff and to do all they can to support them.

"Every one of us can help the health service get through this winter, including by using services appropriately, getting your vaccines if eligible, cooperating with hospital discharge processes and doing all we can to stay well.”

The statement continued: "HSC Trusts, coordinated by a Regional Control Centre, are deploying all available levers to reduce pressures where possible. These include maximising available hospital bed capacity and taking a system-wide approach to dealing with the challenges.

"Close co-operation with independent social care providers is ongoing. This includes a focus on promptly assessing patients ahead of transfers from hospitals to care homes. An app has been developed and is being deployed to provide real time information on available care home places, and digital solutions introduced to maximise Trust Home Care availability.

"Priorities for the HSC system remain maximising patient flow through hospitals and reducing ambulance turnaround times at Emergency Departments.

"There is a long-term gap between capacity and demand for care. This is exacerbated further by winter-related illnesses. As well as adding to demand for care, these illnesses also reduce staffing numbers.”