DUP flags 'continuing crisis' in hospital Emergency Departments - Health Minister Mike Nesbitt acknowledges 'immense pressure'
Upper Bann DUP MLA and Health Committee member Diane Dodds has said the “continuing crisis” in Northern Ireland’s Emergency Departments requires immediate action to improve patient flow and strengthen consultant cover over weekends.
In a statement, she said that Emergency Departments (EDs) are "under intolerable pressure" and doctors are forced to make "impossible decisions” about which very sick people they prioritise because the system is “simply overwhelmed".
She added: "A major part of the problem is the failure to move patients out of hospital when they are medically fit to leave.”
On Thursday there were 622 people across NI ready to be discharged but with nowhere appropriate to go – resulting in 622 patient beds blocked while patients wait in overcrowded EDs.
"We need to increase capacity in step-down care, community care and domiciliary care packages so that people can leave hospital safely and promptly,” she said.
Better pathways from EDs are also needed so that frail elderly patients are not left there for hours, she said.
"I have also raised serious concerns around consultant cover during out-of-hours periods," she said, affirming that consultant presence during weekend shifts is "extremely limited in some cases".
In response, Health Minister Mike Nesbitt affirmed that long waits in EDs are linked to "avoidable harm and death" which he deemed "unacceptable".
The fundamental issue, he said, is to "divert" patients to other services and to improve patient flow.
Solutions which are already helping include urgent care centres, Phone First, minor injury units, same-day emergency care, rapid access ambulatory clinics and hospital at home.
The minister welcomed the fact around 5814 people (35.1%) calling Phone First were referred to alternative pathways outside ED.
His department is working with Trusts and the Ambulance Service on the Release to Rescue initiative, aiming that no patient waits over two hours in an ambulance.
The department continues to work on improving social care to allow patients to be discharged sooner but this is impacted by scarce resources, he added.
The solutions are in "whole hospital, whole system" reforms which will require long-term investment.
He is very aware that ED staff are under "immense pressure" and is supporting where he can, having recently provided funding for additional ED consultants, he added.