AQW 10696/22-27


Ms Connie Egan
Alliance Party
North Down


Tabled Date: 23/04/2024
Answered On Date: 08/05/2024
Priority Written: No


Question:
To ask the Minister of Health how many adults had recorded sodium levels of less than 112, broken down by hospital, in each year since 2017.


Answer:
Information on the number of adults i.e. people aged 18 and over, with particular recorded sodium levels is not held centrally. Each of the five Health and Social Care Trusts (HSCTs) was, therefore, asked to provide a response.
Figures for the numbers of adults in Southern, South Eastern, and Western HSCTs with sodium results of less than 112 mmol/L, broken down by hospital, in each financial year since 2016/17, are given in Table 1 which follows.
Belfast and Northern HSCTs provided figures that are not directly comparable to those in Table 1. These figures are given in Tables 2 and 3.
Southern, South Eastern, and Western HSCTs
Southern, South Eastern and Western HSCTs provided data which have been combined in the following table in response to this question.
Table 1. Number1 of adults with sodium results of
less than 112 mmol/L, by hospital and financial year
Hospital
16/17
17/18
18/19
19/20
20/21
21/22
22/23
23/24
Craigavon Area2
17
16
16
10
19
21
26
31
Daisy Hill2
5
5
15
9
<5
8
9
13
Ulster3
<5
22
9
13
18
18
14
20
Altnagelvin
5
14
13
11
15
13
23
21
South West Acute
5
7
9
7
<5
6
8
5
Source: Southern, South Eastern, and Western HSCTs.
1Figures between 1 and 4 have been suppressed to prevent patient disclosure.
2Less than, or equal to, 112 mmol/L.
3There is a nil return for Ards and Bangor Community Hospitals. Figures for Downe and Lagan Valley Hospitals are held by Belfast Labs and are, therefore, not included in South Eastern HSCT’s response.
Belfast HSCT
While Belfast HSCT did not break down its data by financial year, it did provide the following table in response to this question, which extends over two pages.
Table 2. Number1 of adults with sodium results of
less than 112 mmol/L
Hospital
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
Total
Belfast City Hospital
6
14
8
12
<5
5
9
7
63
Belvoir Park Hospital2
<5
<5
<5
<5
<5
<5
<5
<5
17
Mater Infirmorum Hospital
13
5
7
7
10
7
12
7
68
Musgrave Park Hospital
<5
<5
<5
<5
<5
<5
5
0
12
Northern Ireland Hospice
0
0
<5
0
0
0
0
0
<5
Royal Maternity Hospital
<5
<5
0
<5
<5
<5
<5
<5
13
Hospital
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
Total
Royal Victoria Hospital
18
33
28
27
42
45
52
56
301
Lagan Valley Hospital3
<5
8
<5
<5
<5
<5
0
<5
21
Downe Hospital3
0
<5
<5
<5
0
0
<5
<5
10
Source: Belfast HSCT.
1Figures between 1 and 4 have been suppressed to prevent patient disclosure.
2Figures for Belvoir Park Hospital relate to the Cancer Centre BCH as this is how these figures are recorded on LabCenter and some IT Systems.
3Figures for Lagan Valley and Downe Hospitals are held by Belfast Labs and are, therefore, included in Belfast HSCT’s response.
Northern HSCT
While Northern HSCT did not break down its data by hospital or financial year, it did provide the following table in response to this question.
Table 3. Number of adults with sodium results of
less than, or equal to, 112 mmol/L
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
2023
2024
Total
No. of events1
27
31
34
33
22
34
34
9
224
Source: Northern HSCT.
1Laboratory-based sodium data for each presentation by an adult with a sodium result of less than, or equal to, 112 mmol/L.