Shocking A&E performance data for Northern Ireland must be a catalyst for change, according to the Royal College of Emergency Medicine

The RCEM said that the ‘shocking A&E performance figures must be the catalyst for change’, as new data were released (13 August 2024) showing that between June and April this year tens of thousands of patients were still being forced to endure excessive waits in the country’s A&Es.

The figures, released by the Department of Health, reveal that the first quarter of 2024/5:

• Was the worst three months on record for four-hour, and the second worst for 12-hour, performance in Northern Ireland
• Just one third of patients (36.9%) were treated, admitted or discharged within four hours - with April 2024 being the worst month ever for four-hour waits with just 36.1% of people meeting the standard.
• Nearly one in five people had to wait more than 12 hours during the quarter which equates to 32,360 people - 20 times more than the same period in 2017/18.

Dr Russell McLaughlin, RCEM’s Vice President for Northern Ireland said: “These figures show the stark and deeply concerning reality of our Emergency Departments.

“Imagine being a patient in need of urgent care knowing you will have to wait hours, if not days, to be treated.

“Now imagine being a clinician knowing that every time you got to work you will be faced with the soul-destroying prospect of not being able to provide people with the safe and timely care they need.

“We know the Executive share our concerns about patient safety and have engaged with us in talks to improve this dreadful situation. These statistics cannot, and must not, be ignored. They must be the catalyst for urgent change.

“The people of Northern Ireland deserve an emergency care service that is safe and fit for purpose, and we will continue to work with those in power to give patients the emergency care system they need and deserve.”