Health services ‘overwhelmed’ during Christmas period

PEOPLE are being urged not to attend hospital emergency departments unless ‘absolutely necessary’, after the ‘most difficult’ Christmas on record for out-of-hours GP services.

Western Urgent Care said it received nearly 650 calls on Christmas Eve alone, while the Western Trust was ‘overwhelmed’ on Tuesday with more than 100 people waiting to be seen in its emergency departments.

Dr Tom Black, the Northern Ireland chair of the British Medical Association, said the health service is being struck by ‘an extraordinary number of infections peaking at the same time’.

“This has been the most difficult Christmas on record for out-of-hours GP services,” he stated.

“On Christmas Eve, Western Urgent Care received 640 calls – up from 158 calls last year.

“Emergency departments have also been extremely busy. On Tuesday, the Western Trust were overwhelmed with more than 100 people waiting to be seen in its emergency departments whilst others awaited admission.”

Factors such as strep A, Covid-19, respiratory viruses, vomiting bugs and flu are to blame, said Dr Black.

“We’ve seen a confluence of an extraordinary number of infections peaking at this time, all different things – we haven’t seen anything like it before.

“We knew coming out of Covid it would be more difficult but we didn’t expect this to be so severe.”

The situation has meant healthcare staff have been forced to prioritise patients.

“I think that’s what we’ll have to do for the next few months,” added Dr Black.

“We don’t have enough resources to see everybody with a sore throat or a cough – we’re trying to make sure the most vulnerable and the sickest are being seen.”

“If it isn’t an emergency then this isn’t the place to come at this time because we are talking a 12 hour wait.”