Northern Trust reports 13,000 emergency patients in May – many waiting over 12 hours

Antrim Area Hospital Emergency Department (ED)

The Northern Health and Social Care Trust has reported 8,307 patients seeking treatment in Antrim Hospital’s emergency department in May.

A performance report presented to Trust board members at a meeting, on Thursday (June 26) morning, showed 4,509 people attended casualty at Causeway Hospital in Coleraine, seeking emergency care, last month.

Of those who sought emergency care at Antrim Hospital, 1,473 were in the over-75 years age group with 770 patients, aged over 75 years, attending casualty at Causeway Hospital.

During May, 32.7 per cent of patients were treated within four hours at Antrim Hospital and 44.9 per cent during this period at Causeway Hospital.

However, 1,439 patients had to wait more than 12 hours to receive care in Antrim Hospital’s emergency department and 672 at Causeway Hospital, last month.

At midday, on Friday, (June 27), there were 100 people waiting in the emergency department at Antrim Hospital and 52 at Causeway Hospital. Fifty-seven had been waiting more than 12 hours at Antrim Hospital and 17 at Causeway.

There were 66 patients waiting for admission to a hospital bed, 53 in Antrim and 13 at Causeway. In a recent 24-hour period, 202 patients attended the emergency department at Antrim Hospital and 110 at Causeway.

Between June 13 and June 19, 1,857 patients attended casualty at Antrim Hospital and Causeway, 985. Of these, 394 had a wait of more than 12 hours at Antrim and 137 at Causeway.

Thirty per cent were treated in less than four hours at Antrim and 48 per cent at Causeway Hospital during this period.

Last month, chief executive Jennifer Welsh said that the Northern Trust is “fully committed to maintaining a 24/7 emergency department and acute in-patient services at Causeway”.