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07/01/2004
NI hospital trolley waits hit all time high
The number of people waiting on trolleys in Northern Ireland's hospitals are at an all time high, according to latest figures.
More than 150 patients are currently lying in accident and emergency departments waiting for a bed as of Tuesday morning, the highest figure since records began four years ago the Department of Health revealed.
At present there are 29 people waiting on trollies at the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald, 27 at the Royal Victoria Hospital, 21 at Belfast City Hospital and 14 at the Mater Hospital.
A statement from the Department of Health said it regretted the figures and said that the numbers had resulted "from the high volume of cases which the hospitals are having to handle at the moment".
"In preparation for the extra demands that would be made on services during the winter months, an additional £7 million was allocated to support measures to deal with pressures this winter and this was used to create an additional 70 beds in hospitals throughout Northern Ireland," the statement continued.
"However, the substantial growth in the volume of cases presenting at our hospitals means that further investment is needed. This cannot be created overnight and work is well under way to build additional capacity at key hospitals - a further 30 beds will be available within the next two or three months.
"In the meantime, health and social services staff in hospitals and the community are working tirelessly to minimise the difficulties that patients are facing and further steps are being explored to try to minimise the disruption and discomfort for patients."
It is thought that both respiratory illnesses and a shortage of beds have played a part in the rise.
(MB)
More than 150 patients are currently lying in accident and emergency departments waiting for a bed as of Tuesday morning, the highest figure since records began four years ago the Department of Health revealed.
At present there are 29 people waiting on trollies at the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald, 27 at the Royal Victoria Hospital, 21 at Belfast City Hospital and 14 at the Mater Hospital.
A statement from the Department of Health said it regretted the figures and said that the numbers had resulted "from the high volume of cases which the hospitals are having to handle at the moment".
"In preparation for the extra demands that would be made on services during the winter months, an additional £7 million was allocated to support measures to deal with pressures this winter and this was used to create an additional 70 beds in hospitals throughout Northern Ireland," the statement continued.
"However, the substantial growth in the volume of cases presenting at our hospitals means that further investment is needed. This cannot be created overnight and work is well under way to build additional capacity at key hospitals - a further 30 beds will be available within the next two or three months.
"In the meantime, health and social services staff in hospitals and the community are working tirelessly to minimise the difficulties that patients are facing and further steps are being explored to try to minimise the disruption and discomfort for patients."
It is thought that both respiratory illnesses and a shortage of beds have played a part in the rise.
(MB)
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Long Hospital Waits Double In One Year
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Long Hospital Waits Double In One Year
The number of people left waiting longer than 12 hours in local Emergency Departments has more than doubled in the last year. Official figures show that a total of 64,872 visits to A&E were made in December 2019. Of these, some 5,280 people waited over 12 hours, accounting for 8.1% of all attendances throughout the month.
08 January 2002
Virus closes hospital beds across province
Hospitals in Northern Ireland are struggling to deal with the effects of a common virus which has left people waiting on trollies for beds and caused a severe backlog in surgery. The virus, which affects patients and staff, comes as hospitals throughout the province struggle to cope with an increased number of patients because of winter illnesses.
Virus closes hospital beds across province
Hospitals in Northern Ireland are struggling to deal with the effects of a common virus which has left people waiting on trollies for beds and caused a severe backlog in surgery. The virus, which affects patients and staff, comes as hospitals throughout the province struggle to cope with an increased number of patients because of winter illnesses.
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Northern Ireland WeatherThis Evening and Tonight:West to northwest gale force winds, severe along the north coast, will continue overnight. Frequent showers persist, merging into longer periods of rain at times and turning wintry. Minimum temperature 1 °C.
