Crunch Stormont meeting next week amid A&E crisis

By Niall Deeney
Published 17th Nov 2022, 16:31 BST
A general view of the Accident and Emergency department at Craigavon Area Hospital near Belfast. The hospital has become the latest health facility to appeal for support in freeing up beds. It was described as operating under extreme pressure on Tuesday evening, with 138 patients waiting in emergency department (ED) and ambulances queued outside. The Southern Health Trust has asked for all patients and families to support the hospital by freeing up beds required for very sick patients. Picture date: Tuesday November 15, 2022.A general view of the Accident and Emergency department at Craigavon Area Hospital near Belfast. The hospital has become the latest health facility to appeal for support in freeing up beds. It was described as operating under extreme pressure on Tuesday evening, with 138 patients waiting in emergency department (ED) and ambulances queued outside. The Southern Health Trust has asked for all patients and families to support the hospital by freeing up beds required for very sick patients. Picture date: Tuesday November 15, 2022.
A general view of the Accident and Emergency department at Craigavon Area Hospital near Belfast. The hospital has become the latest health facility to appeal for support in freeing up beds. It was described as operating under extreme pressure on Tuesday evening, with 138 patients waiting in emergency department (ED) and ambulances queued outside. The Southern Health Trust has asked for all patients and families to support the hospital by freeing up beds required for very sick patients. Picture date: Tuesday November 15, 2022.
The ongoing crisis in Northern Ireland's emergency departments is set to top the agenda when politicians and civil servants meet at Stormont next week.

The SDLP health spokesperson Colin McGrath said the Department of Health had confirmed a meeting involving department officials and the main Stormont parties is set to go ahead on Thursday.

This comes after Antrim Area Hospital declared a major incident at its emergency department on Saturday night, closing the doors to patients due to unsafe conditions as it became overwhelmed with the numbers seeking emergency medical care.

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The following day the Belfast Health Trust appealed for available nursing staff to go to hospitals to help alleviate pressures.

On Monday, the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald reported that it was under "severe pressure" and on Tuesday Craigavon Area Hospital was the latest to appeal for support in freeing up beds.

It was described as operating under extreme pressure, with 138 patients waiting in emergency department (ED) and ambulances queued outside.

Mr McGrath said: "Without urgent intervention, the situation will get worse in winter, patients will receive poorer outcomes, health service staff will be pushed closer to breaking point and we will see further deterioration in services. No one wants to be in this situation but we need to act now to stop things getting worse.

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“I welcome confirmation from the Department of Health that a further meeting to address health priorities and reform will take place with party health spokespeople next week. I have proposed a specific engagement process between political and health leaders to work together to address the crisis in emergency care and will again raise the need for urgent talks with officials.

“The scale of the challenge we’re facing is immense and it will not be solved in the short term but every day we delay is another day people face getting sicker waiting for admission to get the care they need. I am not prepared to stand by and watch that happen. The quickest way to take the action needed to address the situation is for the DUP to end their government boycott and put the health of the people we all represent before their own political interests. Political leaders need to get to work.”The News Letter has approached the DUP for comment.

Related topics:Northern IrelandDUPSDLPDepartment of Health