The chief executive of the Northern Health and Social Care Trust has highlighted the pressures being experienced at Antrim and Causeway Hospitals.
Speaking at a meeting of the Trust board at Antrim Hospital, on Thursday morning, Jennifer Welsh, said:
“Everybody is very aware of the huge pressures that are currently being experienced across all Northern Ireland emergency departments.
“Demand outstrips capacity from what services are available in the community, what hospital care is available, what alternative to hospital is available, capacity in ED to manage patients who arrive, capacity in the rest of the hospital, what is available in step-down services and available in the independent sector through packages of care or placement.
“There is no doubt capacity is a major issue for us in the Trust. Pressure has become intolerable for staff in EDs, in current circumstances, not able to provide the care they wish to provide for our patients.”
The chief executive thanked all teams in Antrim Hospital and Causeway Hospital in Coleraine for all they are doing in what she described as “really dreadful circumstances”.
According to statistics published on the Northern Trust’s website on Thursday, at the time recorded, there were 157 patients in the hospitals’ casualty departments, 108 in Antrim and 49 at Causeway Hospital in Coleraine.
Forty-five in Antrim had been waiting more than 12 hours and 14 in Causeway. Forty-eight patients in Antrim were waiting for admission to a hospital bed and 15 in Causeway. There were 208 attendances in the emergency department at Antrim Hospital during a previous 24 hour period and 113 in Causeway.
A total for 2,299 patients attended Antrim and Causeway’s emergency departments between January 10 and January 16. Of these 1,554 were at Antrim Hospital and 745 at Causeway. Of these, 447 had a wait a more than 12 hours. Forty-one per cent had a wait of less than four hours.
Also at the meeting, the Trust board approved a public consultation over a pilot for body-worn cameras at Antrim Hospital’s emergency department.
The proposed trial is expected to involve 12 members of staff.
The aim of the proposal is to help reduce violence and aggression towards health care staff.
Suzanne Pullins, executive director of nursing, said:
“Pressures within the ED is probably the context for some incidents which may arise.”
Anne O’Reilly, chair of the Trust board, said:
“We owe it to our staff to do all we can to address violence and aggression in the workplace. Emergency departments are always extremely busy and staff are working in very challenging circumstances under huge pressure to provide care for all those who come through the doors; they need our support. They should not have to deal with or tolerate any form of abuse.”
The Northern Health and Social Care Trust has reported 6,636 attacks during the past five years with 50,000 across the sector in Northern Ireland. The Trust’s annual health and safety report for the period between April 1, 2022 and March 31, 2023 shows 1,857 incidents of violence and aggression.
The figure included 617 incidents of violence and aggression at Antrim’s Holywell Hospital; Antrim Hospital, 170; Ross Thomson Unit at Causeway Hospital, 73; Whitehaven Respite Unit, Whitehead, 17; Causeway Hospital, Coleraine 86; Armour Complex, Ballymoney, 25; George Sloan Adult Centre, Ballymena, 11; Hollybank Hostel, Magherafelt, 22 and Antrim Adult Centre, 24.