Over 10,000 wait more than 12 hours in Northern Ireland Emergency Departments

Antrim Area Hospital Emergency Department

The Department of Health (DoH) has published new Emergency Care Waiting Time Statistics for July to September 2025, showing that while overall attendances at emergency departments (EDs) in Northern Ireland increased slightly, long waits remain a significant challenge.

According to the quarterly statistical bulletin, 203,230 people attended emergency departments across Northern Ireland during the three-month period — a 2.5% rise on the same quarter last year.

In September 2025 alone, there were 67,578 attendances, an increase of 929 on the same month in 2024. Of these, 77.3% were to Type 1 departments (major consultant-led emergency departments) and 22.7% to Type 3 departments, such as minor injury units and urgent care centres.

Long Waits Persist Despite Small Improvements

The data shows that over 10,800 patients (16.1%) waited more than 12 hours to be treated, admitted, or discharged in September — a slight reduction from 11,244 during the same month last year.

Overall, 33.8% of attendances at Type 1 departments were completed within the four-hour target time, while 84.6% of Type 3 attendances met the same standard. Across all emergency departments, 44.7% of patients spent less than four hours in EDs — a fall from 46.9% during the same quarter in 2024.

Median waiting times for patients admitted to hospital after visiting a Type 1 emergency department stood at 14 hours and 4 minutes, which is 2 hours and 26 minutes shorter than in September 2024. However, discharged patients spent slightly longer — 4 hours and 53 minutes, up from 4 hours and 35 minutes last year.

The longest median wait from arrival to admission was recorded at Causeway Hospital (21 hours and 16 minutes), while the shortest was at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children (5 hours and 9 minutes).

Treatment and Triage Times

The report also highlights waiting times for key stages of patient care. The median waiting time to triage — the initial clinical assessment — was 14 minutes, with 95% of patients triaged within 1 hour and 12 minutes of arrival.

Once triaged, patients waited a median of 1 hour and 22 minutes to begin treatment, while 59.5% commenced treatment within two hours — below the departmental target of 80% and slightly down from 62% in 2024.

Attendance Trends and Patient Flow

The PhoneFirst system, which assesses patients before attending emergency departments, handled 14,762 calls in September 2025, of which 63.6% were referred to an ED.

The percentage of patients who left before treatment was complete fell to 5.5%, down from 6.8% a year earlier. Meanwhile, 4.5% of attendances were unplanned re-visits within seven days, and 9.5% were GP referrals — a notable drop from 14.1% in 2024.

Data Transition and encompass System

The Department of Health confirmed that the new encompass electronic patient record system — which unites legacy health data into a single digital record — is now fully operational across all five Health and Social Care Trusts.

However, the Department cautioned that figures in the current release are considered “official statistics in development” while the data transition is stabilised. The bulletin notes:

“While caution must be exercised when using these figures, they are a meaningful representation of what they measure and are of sufficient quality for publication and use.”

The encompass rollout was completed in May 2025 and is expected to improve future data accuracy and patient care coordination.

Performance Targets

The Department’s draft ministerial targets stipulate that 95% of patients should be treated, admitted, or discharged within four hours, and that no patient should wait longer than 12 hours. The data show that both targets continue to be missed across the system.

In addition, at least 80% of patients are expected to begin treatment within two hours of triage, but the September figures fell short of that benchmark.

Notes and System Updates

The bulletin also highlights several operational factors affecting the data:

• A temporary IT outage in the Southern Health and Social Care Trust on 17 September 2025 may have impacted local figures.

• A resolved encompass workflow issue led to data quality challenges between 1 July and 21 August 2025.

• As of April 2025, Downe and Lagan Valley hospitals were reclassified from Type 2 to Type 3 departments in line with departmental definitions.

The Department reminded the public that patients with less severe conditions should use Minor Injury Units or other appropriate services to avoid longer waits at Type 1 departments.

The full statistical release is available on the Emergency Care Waiting Times section of the Department of Health website.