Health leaders ‘deeply distressed’ at pressures facing hospitals

Health leaders in Northern Ireland have said they are “deeply distressed” at ongoing pressures being experienced in hospitals.

As they outlined a series of measures to alleviate difficulties, the chief executives of health trusts in the region said the situation was expected to intensify over Christmas and into 2023.

Northern Ireland’s health service has been under sustained pressure in recent months, with the public being advised on several occasions of long waits at emergency departments due to capacity issues.

In their joint statement, the health trust chief executives said: “As members of this community as well as health and social care service leaders, we are deeply distressed at the ongoing situation in our hospitals.

“Although strenuous efforts are being made to alleviate the pressures, we have a serious capacity deficit which means too many people are waiting too long for care.

“Much of the impact of this is falling on frail and ill, older people, and on the staff caring for them.

“Pressures on services are expected to intensify further after Christmas and into the early months of 2023.

“The case for long-term investment and reform to effectively build capacity has been well made.

“Right now, however, we have to use whatever levers are available to us to reduce delays and prioritise patient safety.”

The statement said a number of measures had been agreed:

– A maximum limit of three hours for ambulance handover will apply at all emergency departments.

– Maximum use will be made of available space in wards and throughout hospitals, to improve patient flow out of overcrowded emergency departments. This will also include, where appropriate, use of chairs rather than beds for patients medically fit to leave hospitals.

The statement added: “These are not steps that we ever wanted or, indeed, imagined having to introduce.

“They are not designed as a long-term solution, but as actions to reduce the risk to patients waiting in unacceptable circumstances in ambulances and EDs.

“What we absolutely require is a long-term funding settlement and a health and care system which properly reflects demographic trends and is capable of meeting rising levels of demand.

“In the meantime, we cannot passively accept the status quo, with all that it means for patient care and safety.”

Nurses from the RCN in Northern Ireland will take part in further strike action on Tuesday.

While health is a devolved issue, Northern Ireland does not currently have a health minister following the collapse of the powersharing institutions earlier this year.