News / Northern Ireland A&E improves

Northern Ireland’s trusts have made significant progress in reducing the length of time patients spend in accident and emergency departments but they must continue to concentrate on waiting times if they are to meet ambitious targets, according to the Northern Ireland Audit Office.

The NIAO said local A&E departments were particularly pressured and attendances were higher in Northern Ireland than the rest of the UK. While the local population depended heavily on A&E, one study by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety found that 24% of attendances were inappropriate and would have been better served by a minor injuries unit or GP out of hours services, for example.

While Northern Ireland outperformed England and Wales on the four-hour wait before admission, treatment or discharge in 2001/02, it had failed to capitalise on this and waiting times lengthened.

However, a renewed emphasis on A&E waits since June 2006 has turned around performance. From March this year 95% of patients should wait no more than four hours and the Department was confident trusts would hit this target.

In Transforming emergency care in Northern Ireland, NIAO head John Dowdall said improvements had come largely through changes in working practices – for example, greater consultant involvement in patient assessment had led to reduced admissions and waiting times.

But he warned trusts must remain focused on reducing waits. ‘It is important that the Department continues to monitor performance closely and provide support to trusts/hospitals to identify bottlenecks in their systems and to help them develop practical solutions,’ the report said.


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