Winter pressures lead to extended wait at LaganValley A&E

ABOVE average patient numbers and a spike in winter viruses have been blamed on longer waiting times for local people in the Lagan Valley Hospital A&E Department.

A reader recently contacted the Star to say that some people were waiting for five hours without being seen, whilst others had to wait with broken limbs as people coming back for referrals were seen almost immediately.

The lady said: “One man waited for five hours one night and came back again the next day and had to wait another three hours. It is definitely not on, it’s usually about an hour and a half you have to wait.

“They were taking routine appointments before people waiting in Accident & Emergency unless they were coming in in an ambulance.

“It is not right when people are very vulnerable and this needs to be brought to somebody’s attention,”

However, a South Eastern Trust spokesperson said that whilst there had been a higher than average number of patients to be seen, pressures on staff were now easing.

The spokesperson stated: “February was a very busy month in the Lagan Valley Accident & Emergency Department, due to above average patient numbers, an outbreak of Norovirus, and a high number of patients waiting for complex discharge packages. This has continued into the early part of March but pressures are now easing.”

Director of Hospital Services Seamus McGoran said, “Due to lack of space and resources at Lagan Valley, we do not have a satisfactory escalation plan for winter pressures. For instance we were able to open some extra beds at the Ulster Hospital to cope with similar pressures there. We will be working on a contingency plan for Lagan Valley in case the same pressures are felt next winter.”

The spokesperson added: “Patients are always seen on the basis of clinical need but a patient with a broken arm would have been waiting to see a consultant or senior doctor, while review patients might have been able to go ahead and see the appropriate person for their case, who might have been a nurse specialist.”

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