ED situation 'deteriorating', NI doctors warn

The government must make the "worsening crisis" at Northern Ireland's Emergency Departments (EDs) its priority, the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) has said.

New figures released by the Department of Health (DoH) show that there was a 7.6% increase in hospital attendances over a 12-month period, with 63,347 attendees in December 2024 compared to 58,875 in December 2023.

Dr Russell McLaughlin, vice president for RCEM Northern Ireland said the situation "is deteriorating" as the health service "pushed through" another "hugely challenging winter".

However, he said the annual spike in seasonal viruses cannot "be blamed as the sole cause of the issues".

The figures showed that the number of ED attendees waiting more than 12 hours in December 2024 was 12,281, an increase from 10,597 in December 2023.

The number of patients discharged or admitted within the target of four hours was highest in October 2024 (45.6%) and lowest in December 2024 (40.6%).

Compared to December 2023, fewer people (-1.4%) spent under four hours in emergency departments, which had a figure of 42%.

In a statement, Dr McLaughlin said: "No one wants to be in a situation where almost a quarter of our patients can expect to face a 12 hour wait.

"We know that long waits are unsafe and undignified for our patients – we simply should not tolerate this any longer."