AQW 50576/22-27

Mr Danny Donnelly
Alliance Party
East Antrim

Tabled Date: 01/09/2026
Answered On Date: 17/09/2026
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health to detail the number of patients who have waited more than 12 hours in an Emergency Department since the introduction of the release to rescue policy, broken down by Health and Social Care Trust.

Answer:

Release to Rescue was implemented by the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) on 27 April 2026. Information on the number of Emergency Department (ED) attendances waiting more than 12 hours is published in the Northern Ireland waiting times statistics: Emergency Care waiting times report, which is available on the Department of Health website at https://www.health-ni.gov.uk/articles/emergency-care-waiting-times. The report includes data from April 2026 onwards and breakdowns by HSC Trust are available via the “Interactive Emergency Care Data” link.