Health and Social Care (HSC) continues to respond to the unprecedented challenges presented by COVID-19 during the current surge of the pandemic in Northern Ireland.
These challenges, coupled now with traditional winter pressures, are causing significant disruption across all health and care services, including lengthy delays in our Emergency Departments (EDs) and cancellations of some planned appointments and treatment.
The following update provides a regional overview on the current pressures and challenges across the HSC System in Northern Ireland.
| Trust | Hospital | 0-4 hours | Over 4 – 8 hours | Over 8 to 12 hours | Over 12 hours | Total Waiting in Emergency Department | Number of Patients Waiting for Admission to a Hospital Bed (DTA) | ED Attendances midnight on 6th to midnight on 7th |
| Belfast | MATER | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 47 |
| Belfast | RVH | 32 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 38 | 7 | 176 |
| Belfast | Belfast Total | 38 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 44 | 8 | 223 |
| Northern | ANTRIM | 43 | 3 | 5 | 10 | 61 | 22 | 174 |
| Northern | CAUSEWAY | 21 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 25 | 5 | 81 |
| Northern | Northern Total | 64 | 4 | 5 | 13 | 86 | 27 | 255 |
| South Eastern | ULSTER | 56 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 78 | 17 | 224 |
| South Eastern | South East Total | 56 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 78 | 17 | 224 |
| Southern | CRAIGAVON | 40 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 45 | 5 | 157 |
| Southern | DAISY HILL | 28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 100 |
| Southern | Southern Total | 68 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 73 | 5 | 257 |
| Western | ALTNAGELVIN | 37 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 45 | 8 | 131 |
| Western | SWAH | 17 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 35 | 13 | 77 |
| Western | Western Total | 54 | 1 | 1 | 24 | 80 | 21 | 208 |
| Regional Position | Regional Total | 280 | 17 | 16 | 48 | 361 | 78 | 1167 |
(Updated every Wednesday at approximately 4pm)
| Trust | Hospital | ED Attendances | Number of Waits > 12hrs | % of Waits >4 hrs | Non-Elective Admissions |
| Belfast | MATER | 286 | 3 | 58% | 86 |
| Belfast | RVH | 1460 | 140 | 30% | 528 |
| Belfast | BCH | 31 | |||
| Belfast | RBHSC | 541 | 1 | 87% | 95 |
| Belfast | Belfast Total | 2287 | 144 | 47% | 740 |
| Northern | ANTRIM | 1459 | 144 | 62% | 421 |
| Northern | CAUSEWAY | 714 | 46 | 65% | 133 |
| Northern | Northern Total | 2173 | 190 | 63% | 554 |
| South Eastern | ULSTER | 1744 | 75 | 62% | 557 |
| South Eastern | LAGAN VALLEY | 353 | 0 | 83% | 57 |
| South Eastern | DOWNE | 245 | 0 | 100% | 22 |
| South Eastern | South East Total | 2342 | 75 | 69% | 636 |
| Southern | CRAIGAVON | 1282 | 156 | 48% | 387 |
| Southern | DAISY HILL | 816 | 29 | 66% | 209 |
| Southern | Southern Total | 2098 | 185 | 55% | 596 |
| Western | ALTNAGELVIN | 1043 | 87 | 51% | 292 |
| Western | SWAH | 584 | 37 | 64% | 149 |
| Western | OMAGH | 184 | 0 | 98% | 49 |
| Western | Western Total | 1811 | 124 | 60% | 490 |
| Regional Position | Regional Total | 10711 | 718 | 59% | 3016 |
These figures do not include Urgent Care and Phone First attendances.1 To be seen, treated, and either discharged or admitted to a hospital bed.
[Source: Health and Social Care Board]
HSC Trusts continue to make extremely difficult decisions to cancel some elective procedures to free nursing and medical resources to support the Intensive Care Units and the increasing number of patients with COVID-19 admitted to medical wards.
Unfortunately, cancer services have been adversely affected .Trusts are working very hard to maintain cancer care in so far as that is possible during the current surge.
Cancer services are seeking to maintain chemotherapy, radiotherapy and other non-surgical treatments and alternative treatments will be provided in the absence of surgical options.
A regional approach has also been developed to ensure that any available theatre capacity across Northern Ireland is allocated for those patients most in need of surgery, both during surge and as we come out of this surge.
HSC is working to ensure that any cancelled procedures are rescheduled as soon as possible.
Cancellations will be kept under review as the impact of COVID-19 is being felt in all areas of the system and it is anticipated that this pressure will continue over the next number of weeks.
HSC would like to apologise to those patients, their families and carers who have been affected by surgeries being postponed and for any anxiety and distress caused to them.
In total 4546 elective procedures (inpatient and daycase admission and regular attenders) were scheduled of which:
In total 4363 elective procedures (inpatient and daycase admission and regular attenders) were scheduled of which:
[Source: Health and Social Care Board]
Visit the Department of Health’s COVID-19 Dashboard and click on the General Bed Occupancy link for all the latest bed information across hospitals in Northern Ireland
Department of Health’s COVID-19 Dashboard
*Figures correct at time of publishing. Subject to readjustment.
[Source: Trust returns]
There are currently 10 primary care COVID-19 centres across Northern Ireland. They are located in Belfast, Ballymena, Coleraine, Newtownards, Downpatrick, Lisburn, Banbridge, Dungannon, Altnagelvin and SWAH.
COVID-19 centres are a GP-led innovation that was an urgent and immediate response to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The centres ensure that primary care services can be maintained, by enabling patients who have COVID-19 symptoms to be treated separately from those patients who have other conditions which require assessment or treatment in primary care. This helps reduce the spread of infection and helps ensure that patients can continue to receive timely care.
[Source: Health and Social Care Board]
For enquiries about the information available on this page contact the Communications Office at the Health and Social Care Board Tel: 028 9536 3278