Nearly 2,500 patients spend over 12 hours in Antrim and Causeway emergency departments as waiting times worsen

Antrim Area Hospital Emergency Department

Thursday 22 October 2026

Almost 2,500 patients spent more than 12 hours in the emergency departments at Antrim Area and Causeway hospitals during September, as new figures reveal worsening waiting times at both Northern Trust hospitals.

The latest Department of Health statistics, published today (Thursday 22 October), show that 2,499 attendances exceeded the 12-hour threshold across the two hospitals, an increase of 351 (16.3%) compared with September 2025.

Antrim Area Hospital remained Northern Ireland’s busiest major emergency department, recording 8,218 attendances during the month, while Causeway Hospital in Coleraine recorded 4,458.

The figures also reveal exceptionally lengthy waits among some patients requiring admission to hospital, with the time taken for 95% of admitted patients to leave the emergency department exceeding three and a half days at both hospitals.

Antrim Area Hospital records rising delays

At Antrim Area Hospital, 1,803 attendances exceeded 12 hours during September, compared with 1,546 in September 2025 — an increase of 257 (16.6%).

The number was also 150 higher than in June 2026, when 1,653 attendances exceeded the threshold.

Only 31% of patients were admitted or discharged within four hours in September, down from 33.6% in September last year and 33.1% in June.

Attendances increased from 7,872 in September 2025 to 8,218 in September 2026, a rise of 4.4%.

Causeway Hospital sees further deterioration

At Causeway Hospital, 696 attendances exceeded 12 hours in September, compared with 602 during the same month last year — an increase of 94 (15.6%).

The figure was also 131 higher than in June, when 565 attendances exceeded 12 hours.

Four-hour performance fell from 49.4% in September 2025 to 42.2% in September 2026. In June, the figure had stood at 45.3%.

Causeway recorded 4,458 attendances during September, compared with 4,273 a year earlier — an increase of 4.3%.

However, attendances were slightly lower than the 4,489 recorded in June, despite the increase in patients spending more than 12 hours in the department.

Some admitted patients face waits exceeding three days

Among the most significant findings are the lengths of time patients spent in emergency departments before being admitted to hospital.

At Antrim Area Hospital, the median time from arrival to admission was 16 hours and 50 minutes in September, meaning half of admitted patients spent at least approximately that length of time in the emergency department.

At Causeway Hospital, the median was even longer at 19 hours and two minutes.

The figures also show substantial delays among patients experiencing the longest waits.

At Antrim, the time within which 95% of admitted patients completed their emergency department attendance was 88 hours and 40 minutes — equivalent to three days, 16 hours and 40 minutes.

At Causeway, the corresponding figure was 86 hours and 18 minutes, equivalent to three days, 14 hours and 18 minutes.

These are not average or maximum waiting times. They represent the point by which 95% of admitted patients had completed their emergency department attendance, with approximately 5% taking longer.

At Antrim, the figure increased from 82 hours and 10 minutes in September 2025. At Causeway, it rose from 77 hours and 37 minutes.

However, Causeway's median waiting time for admitted patients improved from 21 hours and 13 minutes a year earlier to 19 hours and two minutes, despite longer waits towards the upper end of the range.

Patients waiting longer for treatment

The report also highlights growing delays between patients receiving their initial assessment, known as triage, and beginning treatment.

At Antrim Area Hospital, the median time between triage and treatment reached two hours and 53 minutes in September, compared with one hour and 50 minutes in September 2025.

At Causeway Hospital, the corresponding time increased from one hour and eight minutes to two hours and two minutes.

Only 38.1% of patients at Antrim began treatment within two hours of triage during September, compared with 52.8% in September 2025 and 48% in June 2026.

At Causeway, the proportion fell from 70.6% in September last year to 49.4% in September 2026. It had stood at 60% in June.

The Department of Health's target is for at least 80% of patients to begin treatment within two hours of triage. Neither hospital achieved that standard, and no major emergency department in Northern Ireland met the target during September.

More than 13,000 exceed 12-hour waits across Northern Ireland

The deterioration at Antrim and Causeway reflects wider pressures across Northern Ireland's emergency care system.

During September, 13,065 attendances exceeded 12 hours, compared with 10,881 in September 2025 — an increase of 2,184 (20.1%).

This represented 18.3% of attendances included in the waiting-time measure, equivalent to almost one in five.

The number was also 1,460 higher than in June 2026, when 11,605 attendances exceeded 12 hours.

All ten major emergency departments recorded more attendances exceeding 12 hours than in September last year.

The Department of Health's emergency care target states that 95% of patients should be admitted or discharged within four hours, with no patient spending longer than 12 hours in an emergency department.

Neither standard was achieved across Northern Ireland.

In September, just 41.7% of attendances were completed within four hours, compared with 44.7% during the same month last year.

Emergency attendances increase by almost 14,000

A total of 217,038 attendances were recorded at Northern Ireland's urgent and emergency care services between July and September 2026, compared with 203,330 during the same quarter in 2025.

The increase of 13,708 attendances represents a rise of 6.7%. It was also 6,378 higher than the 210,660 attendances recorded during April to June 2026.

All three months recorded increases compared with the corresponding months last year:

• July 2026: 72,757 attendances, up 6.8%.

• August 2026: 71,584 attendances, up 6%.

• September 2026: 72,697 attendances, up 7.5%.

All ten major emergency departments experienced increased attendances during September compared with September 2025.

Of the September total, 56,049 attendances were at major Type 1 emergency departments, which provide consultant-led, 24-hour emergency care, while 16,648 were at Type 3 services, including minor injury units and urgent care centres.

Across the July to September quarter, only 42.3% of attendances were completed within four hours, down from 44.7% during the same quarter in 2025.

For September alone, the figure was just 30.7% at major Type 1 emergency departments, compared with 82.4% at Type 3 services.

More patients leave before treatment is complete

The statistics also reveal an increase in patients leaving emergency departments before their treatment was completed.

During September, 5,756 attendances ended before treatment was complete, representing 8.1% of attendances included in this measure.

That compares with 3,971 (6%) in September 2025, an increase of 1,785, or approximately 45%.

The September figure was also higher than June 2026, when 4,753 attendances (6.8%) ended before treatment was complete.

The report does not establish why individual patients left, and the figures do not demonstrate that every departure was caused by lengthy waiting times.

Meanwhile, 4.9% of September attendances involved patients returning unexpectedly to the same emergency department within seven days for the same condition.

Assessment and treatment times increase

Across Northern Ireland, the median waiting time from arrival at an emergency department to initial triage was 15 minutes during September, one minute longer than in September 2025.

However, it took up to one hour and seven minutes for 95% of patients to receive their initial assessment.

The median time from triage to the start of treatment was one hour and 45 minutes, compared with one hour and 26 minutes a year earlier.

The time within which 95% of patients began treatment reached ten hours and 38 minutes, an increase of two hours and 24 minutes compared with September 2025.

Only 53.5% began treatment within two hours of triage, down from 59.9% in September 2025 and 55.9% in June 2026.

For patients attending major emergency departments who were subsequently discharged home, the median total time spent in ED increased from four hours and 49 minutes in September 2025 to five hours and 27 minutes in September 2026.

For those admitted to hospital, the median was 14 hours and 28 minutes, compared with 14 hours and 24 minutes a year earlier.

South West Acute Hospital recorded the longest median time from arrival to admission at 20 hours and 16 minutes, while the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children recorded the shortest at five hours and 33 minutes.

Phone First and GP referrals

The Department of Health also recorded 18,263 calls to Phone First services during September, compared with 17,698 in June.

Of September's calls, 12,098 (66.2%) resulted in a referral to an emergency department, while 6,165 did not.

Phone First allows patients considering attending an emergency department to have their needs assessed in advance and, where appropriate, be directed towards alternative care. Patients not referred may still subsequently attend an emergency department.

Across Northern Ireland, 12.3% of September emergency department attendances had been referred by a GP, compared with 12.4% in September 2025.

Antrim Area Hospital recorded the highest proportion of GP-referred attendances among major emergency departments, with 1,843 (22.5%) referred by a GP.

Emergency care targets remain unmet

The Department of Health's emergency care standards require 95% of patients to be admitted or discharged within four hours, no patient to spend more than 12 hours in an emergency department, and at least 80% to begin treatment within two hours of triage.

The latest statistics show these standards remain unmet across Northern Ireland's major emergency departments, including Antrim Area and Causeway hospitals.

The figures are classified as official statistics in development while the health service completes the transition to the encompass electronic patient record system. The Department says the information is suitable for publication and use, although caution is required when making comparisons.

Some clinical indicators are also subject to ongoing data validation, particularly within the Southern Trust.

The bulletin covers new and unplanned review attendances, with waiting times measured from arrival until the patient's emergency department care episode ends. Planned review attendances are excluded.

The statistics also use different definitions from some other UK jurisdictions, meaning Northern Ireland's 12-hour waiting figures should not be directly compared with those published for England.

Questions remain over worsening waits

Although emergency attendances increased across Northern Ireland, the latest figures do not establish that rising demand alone caused the deterioration in waiting times.

At Antrim and Causeway, more patients exceeded 12 hours in September than in June, despite Causeway recording slightly fewer attendances. The statistics do not explain the underlying reasons for the changes.

For patients and families across Ballymena, Mid and East Antrim and the Causeway Coast, the figures highlight an ongoing concern: even after receiving emergency assessment and treatment, those requiring admission to hospital can face lengthy periods in an emergency department before their care episode is completed.