AQW 33052/22-27

Mr Danny Donnelly
Alliance Party
East Antrim

Tabled Date: 08/10/2025
Answered On Date: 23/10/2025
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health, given that the Urgent and Emergency Care Waiting Time Statistics for Northern Ireland (April - June 2025) had over 500 patients waiting over two days in Emergency Departments (ED) for a bed on the ward and that the Royal College of Emergency Medicine has published evidence of the mortality risk for patients waiting for beds for a long time in overcrowded EDs; whether he will consider eradicating 24 and 48 hour waits in EDs.

Answer:

I acknowledge that the current waiting times in our Emergency Departments are too long for patients across Northern Ireland. This situation has arisen due to several factors, including funding that falls short of objectively assessed need and previous missed opportunities to reform health and social care delivery.

The pressures are related not just to the numbers of patients attending ED, but also the acuity of patient conditions. A central factor is capacity in social care, which impacts on hospital discharge rates and consequently on patient flow from EDs.

This is why my long-term vision involves diverting patients to the most appropriate care pathways first time, to provide patients with the best care possible and to avoid unnecessary ED attendance. This includes an increase in the number of same day emergency care clinics and an increased focus on community provision, through services such as Hospital at Home.

There is no quick fix, but I remain committed to addressing the current situation subject to sustained long-term effort, additional recurrent funding and support across the political spectrum.