Northern Ireland health service crisis: Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) calls for action to ensure winter crisises 'do not remain an inevitability'

Dr Michael Perry, vice chair for The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) in Northern Ireland was speaking as Health Minister Mike Nesbitt prepares to attend an emergency meeting with MLAs tomorrow about serious pressures on Emergency Departments across Northern Ireland.

Dr Perry told the News Letter today: “Our emergency departments are very difficult places to visit and work at the moment. We are feeling the effects of a rise in flu cases and a predictable increase in pressure over winter which has added to the challenges we were already facing.

“However, our A&Es have been under similar conditions for a very long time. We have very high numbers of patients waiting for beds in our EDs which means people are left waiting for hours in corridors and chairs.

“We know extremely long A&E stays are dangerous, undignified and disproportionately affect the most vulnerable in our society.

“We need urgent action from those in power to tackle the current crisis in our EDs and year-round, long-term planning to ensure that annual winter crises do not remain an inevitability.”

In October he warned that Northern Ireland EDs were on track for a “disastrous winter” after waiting figures were released for July to September showing “the worst quarter on record” for 12-hour performance in NI’s emergency departments.

He warned: “If this was the situation during the summer months, what will it be like in the depths of winter?”

He added: “The executive must act now and put a plan in place to improve this awful situation before the coldest months hit because at the moment, we are on track for another disastrous winter.”