COVID-19 – Winter Pressures

Health and Social Care (HSC) continues to respond to the unprecedented challenges presented by COVID-19 during the second 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.

Number of people in Emergency Departments

Snapshot at 12 noon today – 15 January 2021

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 14th to midnight on 15th*
Belfast	MATER	5	1	0	0	6	1	48
Belfast	RVH	15	5	2	5	27	9	*181*
Belfast	Belfast Total	20	6	2	5	33	10	*229*
Northern	ANTRIM	18	2	4	28	52	37	*147*
Northern	CAUSEWAY	8	2	3	10	23	15	86
Northern	Northern Total	26	4	7	38	75	52	*233*
South Eastern	ULSTER	27	6	2	3	38	9	*214*
South Eastern	South East Total	27	6	2	3	38	9	214
Southern	CRAIGAVON	20	2	1	12	35	13	*137*
Southern	DAISY HILL	15	0	1	4	20	7	74
Southern	Southern Total	35	2	2	16	55	20	211
Western	ALTNAGELVIN	16	2	0	9	27	10	*112*
Western	SWAH	6	1	1	9	17	10	68
Western	Western Total	22	3	1	18	44	20	180
Regional Position	Regional Total	130	21	14	80	245	*111*	*1067*

This information is updated Monday-Friday.
The information is taken from a live, operational dashboard and only provides a snapshot of Emergency Departments at a particular point in time. Therefore, as the situation in Emergency Departments is very dynamic, the information cannot and should not be taken as the definitive position.
The statistics do not include information from Urgent Care Centres or Phone First Data.
Information provided relates to Type 1 sites only. Type 1 departments are defined as those with a consultant-led service with designated accommodation for the reception of emergency care patients, providing both emergency medicine and emergency surgical services on a round the clock basis.
In Emergency Departments the sickest and most critically injured patients will be prioritised. People with less serious conditions unfortunately may have to wait longer to be seen, treated, and either discharged or admitted to a hospital bed. Please consider other services, including Urgent Care Centres (which are now running in RVH in Belfast and Downe Hospitals), Minor Injury Units, GP Out of Hours, or your own GP. Pharmacists now also have additional services in place and can also offer advice and treatment for common conditions and refer patients to other healthcare professionals as appropriate.

Emergency Department Figures

(Updated every Wednesday at 3pm)

Weekly Position: Tuesday 5 – Monday 11 January 2021

Trust	Hospital	ED Attendances	Number of people who waited more than 12 hours¹	% number of people who waited less than 4 hours¹	Non-Elective Admissions
Belfast	MATER	319	74	43%	113
Belfast	RVH	1134	183	34%	507
Belfast	BCH				55
Belfast	RBHSC	428	0	86%	77
Belfast	Belfast Total	1881	258	47%	752
Northern	ANTRIM	1128	162	64%	336
Northern	CAUSEWAY	585	90	60%	173
Northern	Northern Total	1713	252	63%	509
South Eastern	ULSTER	1408	210	55%	480
South Eastern	LAGAN VALLEY	307	0	75%	52
South Eastern	DOWNE	193	0	99%	30
South Eastern	South East Total	1908	210	63%	562
Southern	CRAIGAVON	1061	273	38%	384
Southern	DAISY HILL	650	79	59%	182
Southern	Southern Total	1711	352	46%	566
Western	ALTNAGELVIN	897	115	53%	287
Western	SWAH	508	42	58%	147
Western	OMAGH	165	0	98%	70
Western	Western Total	1570	157	59%	504
Regional Position	Regional Total	8783	1229	56%	2893

¹To be seen, treated, and either discharged or admitted to a hospital bed.

These figures do not include Urgent Care and Phone First attendances.
Information provided relates to Type 1 and Type 2 ED sites. Type 1 departments are defined as those with a consultant-led service with designated accommodation for the reception of emergency care patients, providing both emergency medicine and emergency surgical services on a round the clock basis. Type 2 departments are consultant-led service with designated accommodation for the reception of emergency care patients, but do not provide both emergency medicine and emergency surgical services and/or has time-limited opening hours.

[Source: Health and Social Care Board]

Cancelled elective procedures

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.

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.

From 5 January to 11 January 2021

In total 4878 elective procedures (inpatient and daycase admission and regular attenders) were scheduled of which:

4527 elective procedures (inpatient and daycase admission and regular attenders) went ahead as planned.
There were 351 cancellations (7%).
Of the 351 cancellations there were: – 106 Red Flag suspect cancer cancellations. Trusts are actively working to offer new dates as soon as possible.

From 29 December 2020 to 4 January 2021

In total 3359 elective procedures (inpatient and daycase admission and regular attenders) were scheduled of which:

3267 elective procedures (inpatient and daycase admission and regular attenders) went ahead as planned.
There were 92 cancellations (3%).
Of the 92 cancellations there were: – 37 Red Flag suspect cancer cancellations. Trusts are actively working to offer new dates as soon as possible.

[Source: Health and Social Care Board]

Bed pressures

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

Number of HSC staff absent or self-isolating due to COVID-19

On January 12th 2021

The overall number of Trust staff recorded as absent due to COVID-19 across NI was 629 (0.8% of the workforce).
The overall number of Trust staff recorded as absent due to self-isolation was 826 (1.1% of workforce).
The overall number of Trust staff recorded as absent due to sickness (non-COVID-19 related) across NI was 3309 (4.4% of the workforce).

On January 5th 2021

The overall number of Trust staff recorded as absent due to COVID-19 across NI was 430 (0.6% of the workforce).
The overall number of Trust staff recorded as absent due to self-isolation was 608 (0.8% of workforce).
The overall number of Trust staff recorded as absent due to sickness (non-COVID-19 related) across NI was 2636 (3.5% of the workforce).

*Figures correct at time of publishing. Subject to readjustment.
[Source: Trust returns]

Covid Centre update

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.

From 6 April 2020 to 10 January 2021

It is projected that there were 134,845 COVID-19 related queries in General Practice across Northern Ireland. (This figure is subject to ongoing validation efforts).
29,771 Patients triaged and referred to Primary Care COVID-19 Centres across Northern Ireland in that time period. 15% of patients assessed at these centres were then referred to secondary care.

From 4 January to 10 January 2021

1,243 referrals (The highest number of weekly referrals since the centres were established in April last year)

From 28 December 2020 to 3 January 2021

1039 referrals.

[Source: Health and Social Care Board]

Data archive

Title and link to download	Date
03-09 Nov 2020 Cancelled Elective Procedures And Staff Absent Or Self-isolating	11th November 2020
10-16 Nov 2020 Cancelled Elective Procedures And Staff Absent Or Self-isolating	18th November 2020
17-23 Nov 2020 Cancelled Elective Procedures And Staff Absent Or Self-isolating	23rd November 2020
24-30 Nov 2020 Cancelled Elective Procedures And Staff Absent Or Self-isolating	30th November 2020
01-07 Dec 2020 Cancelled Elective Procedures and Staff Absent or Self-isolating	7th December 2020
08-14 Dec 2020 Cancelled Elective Procedures and Staff Absent or Self-isolating	14th December 2020
Number of people in EDs - Snapshot at 12 noon - 30 December 2020	30th December 2020
Number of people in EDs - Snapshot at 12 noon - 31 December 2020	31st December 2020
Number of people in EDs - Snapshot 12 noon - 04 January 2021	4th January 2021
Number of people in EDs – Snapshot at 12 noon - 05 January 2021	5th January 2021
Number of people in EDs - Snapshot at 12 noon - 06 January 2021	6th January 2021
Number of people in EDs - Snapshot at 12 noon - 07 January 2021	7th January 2021
Number of people in EDs Snapshot - 12 Noon - 08 January2021	8th January 2021
Number of people in EDs - Snapshot at 12 noon - 11 January 2021	11th January 2021
Number of people in EDs - Snapshot at 12 Noon - 12 January 2021	12th January 2021
Number of people in EDs - Snapshot 12 Noon - 13 January 2021	13th January 2021
Number of people in EDs - Snapshot 12 Noon - 14. January 2021	14th January 2021

Further information

For enquiries about the information available on this page contact the Communications Office at the Health and Social Care Board Tel: 028 9536 3278