Derry MLA demands urgent action as NI records highest ED death rate

SDLP Foyle MLA Mark H Durkan has issued a stark warning on the growing crisis in our Emergency Departments following a new report from the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM), which links 1,032 excess deaths in Northern Ireland to long wait times in Emergency Departments.

Mr Durkan said the shocking figure must serve as a clarion call to the Executive and the Department of Health. He raised further concerns that this situation does not appear to be actively monitored by the Department of Health.

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The MLA for Foyle commented: “Every life lost to healthcare delays is a tragedy. With over 1,000 deaths linked to ED overcrowding and long waits, paints a picture of a health service in collapse.

"This RCEM estimate likely underestimates the true toll, which is likely even higher if we consider those too ill to wait who simply went home or those who didn’t go at all, deterred by lengthy waits.

“For years, Emergency Departments across the North have resembled scenes from a war-torn country. Unwell individuals standing in emergency rooms packed to the rafters because there are no seats left to accommodate them, young children sleeping on the floors or patients treated in corridors; all stripped of the dignity they deserve from healthcare.

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“That is no reflection on our dedicated health staff who continue to do their best under increasingly challenging conditions. However, the persistent inability to deliver quality, timely care is devastating staff morale and pushing many to breaking point.”

“In January, I asked the Health Minister to detail how many people had died while waiting for ED I was told the Department didn't hold that data. When I asked whether the Department would commit to recording and monitoring those deaths, I was essentially told no. Yet, ironically, in the same breath, the Minister claimed to be committed to transparency.

“Where is the transparency here or the accountability from the Minister and his Executive colleagues? How is it that the RCEM can produce these figures, but our own Department of Health and Minister cannot or will not.

“NI now has the longest emergency waits across these islands and the highest deaths per head linked to those waits. That should shame every level of government into action. We need honesty, we need accountability and we need action to save lives.”