AQW 24276/17-22

Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry

Tabled Date: 14/10/2021
Answered On Date: 12/01/2022
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health (i) what consideration he has given to creating a triage phone number for all accident and emergency departments, similar to England; and (ii) for his assessment of how this could reduce stress on these departments and reassure some patients they can be better treated elsewhere.

Answer:

In October 2020, I published the No More Silos (NMS) Action Plan, which includes 10 key actions to ensure that urgent and emergency care services across primary and secondary care can be maintained and improved in an environment that is safe for patients and for staff. One of the 10 actions was the introduction of the Phone First telephone clinical assessment service.

While the nature of NMS allowed Trusts to prioritise locally which key actions they would focus on, Phone First services are now operating in a number of areas. Phone First is currently available in the Northern, Southern and Western Trusts. Lagan Valley Hospital also recently introduced a Phone First service and an interim local service is available in Downe. Belfast Trust is currently operating an Urgent Care Centre as an alternative to Phone First.

As of 30 November 2021, more than 164,000 patients had utilised the Phone First and Urgent Care services across Northern Ireland. Of these patients, some 36,283, equivalent to 22%, were discharged with advice or referred back to their GP; around 80,000, equivalent to 50%, were scheduled for an appointment at an Emergency Department, Urgent Care Centre or alternative pathway; and some 48,000 patients, or 29%, were referred directly to an Emergency Department.

Consideration of the introduction of a regional Phone First service will be included as part of the Urgent and Emergency Care Review, which I hope to publish for public consultation in the near future.