Health Minister Robin Swann says 'the people of NI deserve better' after latest emergency care waiting times revealed

According to the report in December 2019, 64,872 people attended emergency departments in NI.

In the same month the number waiting for more than 12 hours was 5,280 - up from 1,991 in December 2018, making up 8.1% of total attendances.

Minister Swann said: "The people of Northern Ireland deserve better.

"I have written to the chief executives of each of the Trusts, requesting detailed assessments of the situation," he said.

"We all owe a debt of gratitude to the staff who continue to work through these pressures, however, we need to fix things for their sake as well as for patients.

"I fully recognise that there are no quick or easy solutions. As with other parts of the health service, sustained investment is required alongside reforms to the way services are delivered."

Sinn Féin MLA Colm Gildernew has told of his concern at the ongoing long waiting times at Emergency Departments.

He said: "This is not just a crisis facing Emergency Departments but a sign of the wider pressures on the health and social care system.

“It is clear that the hard working health and social care staff are struggling with the huge pressures.

“I am concerned that ongoing challenges with supporting people in their local GPs, getting social care packages, finding an inpatient bed and low staffing levels are all contributing to the increasing waiting times for Emergency Departments.

“Significant investment in health and social care services is needed for transformation to work and to address the ongoing crisis within health and social care.

“We need an end to the ten years of Tory cuts to public services which have created the crisis in our health and mental health services.

“For the Health Minister to address emergency waiting times, he needs the funding to transform the wider health and social care system.”