Emergency departments under extreme pressure

EMERGENCY departments in Western Trust hospitals have been ‘extremely busy’ over the last week, resulting in many patients being forced to spend hours in waiting areas before being treated.

Stresses felt across region have been particularly pronounced in South West Acute Hospital (SWAH) and Altnagelvin Hospital, with the latter having experienced around 200 attendances per day, requiring them to call upon off-duty staff to help cope.

Speaking on behalf of the Western Trust, a spokesperson told the Tyrone Herald, “Our emergency departments have been extremely busy of recent, with Altnagelvin has regularly seen over 200 attendances in any 24-hour period.”

They continued, “Around 80 per-cent of these patients can be treated and discharged from the emergency department.

“However, around one-in-five patients require admission to hospital for further investigations or treatment. With ongoing challenges around bed pressures, this causes delays for patients waiting in the emergency department.”

During April and May of this year, according to the Western Trust, there were a total of 11,359 attendances at Altnagelvin emergency department, with 42 per-cent of those attending being triaged within 15 minutes of arrival.

In the same period, SWAH emergency department had 6,569 attendances, with 58 per-cent being triaged within 15 minutes of their arrival.

Omagh’s minor injuries unit saw a 10 per-cent rise in the numbers attending during this period, with a total of 3,706 attendances.

However, despite the pressures that are straining services and staff across the area, the Western Trust have been unambiguous in their guidance to patients.

“The advice from our clinicians is clear; If you require immediate emergency support then you need to attend the emergency department.

“However,” they continued, “if your condition is less urgent, then you may face long waits during particularly busy times if you decide to attend. Please consider alternative options.”

If you have a medical or mental health emergency, then ring 999 immediately or attend your nearest emergency department without delay.

For all other urgent matters, please use the phone first service on 0300 020 6000, where you will receive advice on the best location to attend – which may be your local emergency department, minor injuries unit, out of hours GP, community pharmacy, or advice on self-care at home.