AQW 50160/22-27
Ms Claire Sugden
Independent
East Londonderry
Tabled Date: 01/07/2026
Answered On Date: 27/07/2026
Priority Written: No
Question:
To ask the Minister of Health whether his Department has undertaken any assessment of the cost of mental health crisis presentations to Emergency Departments.
Answer:
Information on Emergency Department (ED) attendances involving individuals presenting in mental health crisis is not routinely recorded in a manner that allows the associated costs to be separately identified. While overall ED activity and expenditure are collected, specific cost information for this patient cohort is not available. Consequently, my Department cannot provide a separate assessment of the costs associated with mental health presentations to ED. The Northern Ireland average unit cost of a main ED attendance, along with the total cost of main EDs (excluding standalone Minor Injury Units) for the last five years is set out in the table below: | 2020/21 | 2021/22 | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 | NI average unit cost of a Main ED attendance | £247 | £254 | £299 | £389 | £411 | Total cost of Main ED’s | £189.9m | £195.8m | £216.2m | £298.6m | £316.9m |
These figures represent fully absorbed average costs, including direct, indirect, overhead and capital costs, based on Trust cost submissions. Caution should be exercised in making year-on-year or cross-jurisdictional comparisons due to changes in costing methodologies, data completeness, and system implementation impacts over the period.
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