AQW 44855/22-27


Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry


Tabled Date: 27/04/2026
Answered On Date: 16/06/2026
Priority Written: No


Question:
To ask the Minister of Health to detail whether any (i) assessment has been made of the effectiveness of current measures to reduce Emergency Department waiting times; and (ii) further actions are planned.


Answer:
Emergency Departments (EDs) across Northern Ireland are currently operating under sustained and unprecedented pressure, with very high levels of demand combined with significant challenges in admitting patients to wards. This leads directly to extended waiting times within ED and can result in patients with urgent needs waiting far longer than is acceptable. While triage helps ensure the most critically ill are prioritised, I recognise that this does not lessen the anxiety or risk associated with long delays for those waiting to be seen.
Improving the performance of EDs remains a key priority for both my department and Trusts, and work is ongoing to reduce overcrowding and improve patient flow. Following recent investment from my department, urgent care centres, minor injury units and Phone First services are fully established and operational across the region, helping to divert demand away from EDs where appropriate and ensuring patients could access the right care, in the right place, at the right time. Funding has also been provided to expand Hospital at Home and Same Day Emergency Care services, enabling more patients to be treated in the community or on the same day avoiding prolonged waits in ED. Additional support for the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service has strengthened Hear and Treat and See and Treat pathways in order to reduce avoidable conveyances to ED. Further emergency medicine consultants have been recruited to enhance senior clinical decisionmaking and departmental resilience.
Improving social care flow is another key component of hospital throughput. Early Review Teams have now reviewed more than 4,100 individuals, with almost half requiring reduced or no homecare support, releasing over 12,000 weekly hours of capacity regionally. In 2025-26 alone, revised Early Review criteria have released an additional 4,961 hours per week.
On 27 April 2026, the Release to Rescue element of the Regional Ambulance Handover Guidance was initiated across the province, where clinical responsibility for patients will be handed over to the receiving Trust within two hours of arrival at an ED, allowing the ambulance crew to return immediately to operational duty. This new protocol will take some time to become fully effective, but its launch represents a significant step towards improving response capacity and improving patient experience.
Taken together, these actions are focused on improving flow through hospitals, reducing congestion in EDs, and ensuring patients receive timely, safe and effective care. These changes are essential, but it will take time for the full impact to be consistently felt by patients.