NI Health: Patients spending over a week in emergency departments
Conditions in emergency departments (EDs) are "soul destroying", a senior consultant has said after it was revealed that one patient waited more than 330 hours inside a unit.New figures, obtained by BBC News NI, show that in a seven-month period to January this year, one patient waited two weeks at the Ulster Hospital, while another waited 11 days at the Mater in Belfast.Dr Clodagh Corrigan, deputy chair of the British Medical Association in Northern Ireland, said conditions in EDs for staff and patients were "horrific".In a statement, the Department of Health (DoH) acknowledged that waiting times in EDs "fall well below the standard of care that we strive to provide".
Hundreds stuck in hospitals across NI
The DoH target is for 95% of patients to be treated, discharged or admitted within four hours and no patient to wait longer than 12 hours.Dr Corrigan, who is an emergency medicine consultant, has called on the department to spend its money more effectively.A Freedom of Information request from BBC News NI revealed that every health trust in Northern Ireland experienced patient waits of about week or more.The Northern Health Trust said a wait of more than 10 days for a patient in Antrim Area Hospital was because they needed to be isolated in a side room for other people's safety."If there's space, it's taken up by somebody," said Dr Corrigan.She added that patients who might be vomiting or suffering from diarrhoea were queuing for the one toilet available in a unit."It's a soul-destroying work environment. You can't give the care you want to give," she said."You certainly aren't giving the care you're trained to give. It's not the care you'd want your family to receive."There are currently hundreds of people stuck in hospitals across Northern Ireland who are medically fit to be discharged but do not have a care package or an appropriate facility to go to.The BMA said this increases pressure in EDs because people are not moving through the hospital system.
The BBC requested data from all five health trusts under Freedom of Information, including that relating to the height of the winter pressures over Christmas and New Year.They reflect the immense pressure healthcare staff were under at the time, with one nursing leader describing conditions as "intolerable".Between 12 December 2024 and 20 January this year, 140 patients had to wait in crowded EDs for more than 100 hours.At Altnagelvin Area Hospital, one person spent a week in its ED. The hospital recorded the highest number of patients waiting the longest times, with 48 people waiting for more than 100 hours.
Dr Corrigan said the BMA was calling for greater investment in the health service and multi-year budgets."The money that exists needs to be used better. There's been an awful lot of investment in a lot of new initiatives... and while we welcome some of those initiatives, we're not seeing the pressures easing from them," she said."It might be better investing in the services that are already here and shaping them better."In a statement, the Department of Health said Health Minister Mike Nesbitt was "acutely aware of the pressures within emergency departments"."The department also recognises the risk of possible harm to patients who experience long waiting times in ED and is working with trusts to improve patient flow through urgent and emergency care," it added.There were still major waits for patients in EDs this week, with patients at Craigavon Area Hospital waiting an average of 15 hours to be seen on Monday.
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BBC News
8 hours ago
- BBC News
NI Health: Patients spending over a week in emergency departments
Conditions in emergency departments (EDs) are "soul destroying", a senior consultant has said after it was revealed that one patient waited more than 330 hours inside a figures, obtained by BBC News NI, show that in a seven-month period to January this year, one patient waited two weeks at the Ulster Hospital, while another waited 11 days at the Mater in Clodagh Corrigan, deputy chair of the British Medical Association in Northern Ireland, said conditions in EDs for staff and patients were "horrific".In a statement, the Department of Health (DoH) acknowledged that waiting times in EDs "fall well below the standard of care that we strive to provide". Hundreds stuck in hospitals across NI The DoH target is for 95% of patients to be treated, discharged or admitted within four hours and no patient to wait longer than 12 Corrigan, who is an emergency medicine consultant, has called on the department to spend its money more effectively.A Freedom of Information request from BBC News NI revealed that every health trust in Northern Ireland experienced patient waits of about week or Northern Health Trust said a wait of more than 10 days for a patient in Antrim Area Hospital was because they needed to be isolated in a side room for other people's safety."If there's space, it's taken up by somebody," said Dr added that patients who might be vomiting or suffering from diarrhoea were queuing for the one toilet available in a unit."It's a soul-destroying work environment. You can't give the care you want to give," she said."You certainly aren't giving the care you're trained to give. It's not the care you'd want your family to receive."There are currently hundreds of people stuck in hospitals across Northern Ireland who are medically fit to be discharged but do not have a care package or an appropriate facility to go BMA said this increases pressure in EDs because people are not moving through the hospital system. The BBC requested data from all five health trusts under Freedom of Information, including that relating to the height of the winter pressures over Christmas and New reflect the immense pressure healthcare staff were under at the time, with one nursing leader describing conditions as "intolerable".Between 12 December 2024 and 20 January this year, 140 patients had to wait in crowded EDs for more than 100 Altnagelvin Area Hospital, one person spent a week in its ED. The hospital recorded the highest number of patients waiting the longest times, with 48 people waiting for more than 100 hours. Dr Corrigan said the BMA was calling for greater investment in the health service and multi-year budgets."The money that exists needs to be used better. There's been an awful lot of investment in a lot of new initiatives... and while we welcome some of those initiatives, we're not seeing the pressures easing from them," she said."It might be better investing in the services that are already here and shaping them better."In a statement, the Department of Health said Health Minister Mike Nesbitt was "acutely aware of the pressures within emergency departments"."The department also recognises the risk of possible harm to patients who experience long waiting times in ED and is working with trusts to improve patient flow through urgent and emergency care," it were still major waits for patients in EDs this week, with patients at Craigavon Area Hospital waiting an average of 15 hours to be seen on Monday.
Powys County Times
10 hours ago
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Doctors' union votes for ‘identity-based care' despite warning over lawfulness
The doctors' union has voted for transgender patients to have 'identity-based care' and called for this approach to be embedded into training. But the British Medical Association (BMA) has been warned the move risks going against the law, after the Supreme Court ruling in April that the terms woman and sex in the 2010 Equality Act 'refer to a biological woman and biological sex'. At the BMA's annual representative meeting in Liverpool on Wednesday, a majority of members voted in favour of a motion said to centre on 'respect, safety and dignity' of LGBTQ+ doctors and patients. In a speech in support of the motion, member Bethan Stanley described a 'blatant transphobia' in the current political climate, and insisted 'gender-affirming care is healthcare'. Urging her fellow members to vote yes, she said: 'I feel it is a no-brainer that we should support care that is going to improve the welfare and wellbeing of our patients.' To lengthy applause, she added: 'Trans women are women. Trans men are men.' The motion called on the BMA to 'affirm the right of all LGBTQ+ patients and staff to identity-based care and working conditions – defined as care and policies that actively account for the individual's lived, intersecting identities (including sexuality, gender, neurodivergence, race, and cultural background)' and for guidance and a 'lobbying strategy to embed this principle into NHS equality standards, training frameworks, and institutional policies'. Speaking against it, Louise Irvine said while it had a 'laudable aim of protecting LGBTQ+ and other people's rights to fair treatment' it also 'risks advocating that the BMA and other organisations adopt policies which are unlawful'. She noted two cases of nurses suing their health trusts for providing changing rooms based on gender identity rather than sex and urged the BMA to study the legal implications of the recent Supreme Court judgment. A group of nurses are challenging County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust over a policy allowing a trans colleague to use the female changing rooms at work, with their case due to be heard at an employment tribunal in the autumn. Meanwhile, in Scotland, nurse Sandie Peggie is suing NHS Fife after sharing a female changing room with a transgender doctor, with that tribunal expected to resume in July. Ms Irvine said: 'Lobbying for organisations to provide services on the basis of gender identity and not sex, means advocating that organisations disregard their public sector equality duty obligations. 'This could lead to legal liability for any discrimination or harassment experienced by service users expecting a single sex service.' She added that the BMA lobbying for organisations to adopt policies for patients and staff based on gender identity instead of sex 'could put us at variance with the law, with all the risks that that carries'. The vote reflected the 'deep passion within the profession for delivering truly personalised care', BMA representative body chair Dr Latifa Patel said. She said the court ruling 'does not prevent healthcare that takes gender identity into account' and said the union will 'call for clear, national guidance and a real lobbying strategy that enable doctors to deliver identity-informed care, so that no one is left behind'. The doctors' union has previously called for a delay to implementation of the Cass Review into children's gender services – which concluded gender care was an area of 'remarkably weak evidence' and young people had been caught up in a 'stormy social discourse'. NSH England (NHSE) last year rejected the call for a delay, saying it has 'full confidence' in the Cass Review final report. The BMA said it would carry out its own 'critique' of the report, which is yet to be published. While initially stating this would be shared with its UK council at its January meeting, a BMA spokesperson said: 'We want to be as sure as we can be that data collection and analysis processes are as rigorous and robust as possible; this requires time, rather than be rushed.' A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: 'We are committed to providing safe, inclusive and appropriate care for all patients, including those questioning their gender. 'We expect NHS organisations to follow employment law and good HR practices, ensuring all staff feel respected and included.'
