Accident & Emergency Target Most Serious

NI people with less serious conditions are being told to stay away from hospital casualty units.

The Stormont Health Minister Michael McGimpsey has said that the increasing demand for health and social care services was placing significant pressures on the system.

Validated figures published yesterday that showed that the number of patients waiting longer than 12 hours at A&E departments across Northern Ireland had increased from 541 patients in February 2010 to 1,238 patients at the end of March 2010, Mr McGimpsey said: "While almost 80% of patients were seen within the four-hour target in March, some people are waiting longer than 12 hours in A&E units which is not acceptable.

"I expect Trusts to meet the targets that have been set," he said.

The Minister continued: "The public must remember that A&E departments are primarily for emergencies.

"People should only attend when they have a condition which requires immediate urgent care so that hospital staff are able to use their time to treat those who are most ill.

"For any minor ailment, patients should consider if they can wait to be seen at their own GP practice or attend, where appropriate, an out of hours service," he insisted.

"However, the fact is that from February to March this year alone, some 10,000 extra people have attended A&E departments.

"Despite this huge increase, staff are making a tremendous effort to try and manage the additional demands.

"I want to thank them for all their hard work in coping under such difficult circumstances and with very limited resources."

He noted that, across A&E departments there were 61,038 attendances during the month of March, compared to 51,131 in February 2010, an increase of nearly 20%. The number of attendances in March represents the highest volume of A&E attendances since June 2009 (61,716).

(BMcC/GK)