‘Enormous strain’ on NI hospitals shown by latest A&E waiting times

That is according to leading doctor Paul Kerr, an emergency medicine consultant in the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast, who warned that if the “pandemic exit strategy” is not planned carefully that there could be “great challenges” ahead for hospitals.

Dr Kerr, the vice president of the Royal College of Emergency Medicine in Northern Ireland, said: “Hospitals and staff have faced intense pressures, and in addition to the expected winter pressures, have had to change how they work in response to the Covid situation.

“Patients are waiting longer to receive care; ambulances are struggling to offload patients into emergency departments, and it is increasingly difficult to move patients through the system – there simply are not enough beds to move patients to.”

He was speaking after the latest emergency waiting time statistics from the Department of Health showed that 14,162 patients waited 12 hours or more before being admitted, transferred, or discharged from A&E during the last three months of 2020.

In December alone, 5,150 people had to wait 12 hours – from a total of 45,427 attendances at A&E that month.

Dr Kerr said: “The health care service has been severely tested; we faced the pandemic short of staff, beds and resources, but continue to meet the challenges facing us.

“But we are concerned about the problems ahead as we face a difficult process of further change while balancing uncertainty with the need to return services to normal.”

He also expressed concern for staff who are now “nearing burnout”.

“Throughout the pandemic staff have remained resilient, working tirelessly but after nearly a year, they are exhausted, mentally and physically, and there is no doubt that the pandemic will have taken its toll on our frontline staff and health workers,” he said.

“We must see an exit strategy from the pandemic and a plan for the future. This must include provisions for adequate psychological support for current staff who are exhausted and are nearing burnout, physically and mentally.”

The Belfast-based consultant added: “If the pandemic exit strategy is not carefully planned, great challenges may lie ahead as the service tries to recommence elective operations but maintaining access to beds for emergency admissions must be a priority.”

The waiting times faced by patients at Northern Ireland emergency departments during the last three months of 2020, some of the most difficult periods of the coronavirus pandemic, were as follows:

• December 2020: 45,427 attended; 60.7% waited four hours; 11.3% waited 12 hours.

• November 2020: 45,205 attended; 65% waited four hours; 9.2% waited 12 hours.

• October 2020: 50,701 attended; 62.8% waited four hours; 9.6% waited 12 hours.