Northern Ireland

Trust bosses warn only most urgent cases should come to A&E over Christmas holidays

A&E departments in Northern Ireland are facing delays.
A&E departments in Northern Ireland are facing delays. A&E departments in Northern Ireland are facing delays.

THREE health trusts have issued notices over the holiday season warning people only to come to A&E if they require urgent treatment.

The Belfast, Western and Northern trusts all experienced "very busy" periods with patients facing delays to be seen.

A tweet was posted on social media yesterday morning about the "long waiting times" at the Royal Victoria and Mater hospitals in Belfast.

On Monday evening, Western trust bosses also posted a statement on social media about the 90 patients waiting for A&E treatment at Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry.

"Please only come to #AltnagelvinED if you believe you require urgent medical or mental health attention. Please consider other appropriate healthcare options," the tweet said.

And a spike in attendances at the Causeway Hospital in Coleraine led to similar postings by Northern trust bosses.

"Causeway Emergency Department has been very busy over the past few days but all patients who come through the doors are triaged within an average of 15 minutes and are treated in order of clinical priority," a spokeswoman said.

"As is the case with all Emergency Departments across the region, both of our Emergency Departments at Antrim and Causeway are busy due to an increase in attendances of sick people, some with complex conditions, who require to be admitted to hospital for acute care."

East Derry SDLP assembly member John Dallat said the delays were distressing for both patients and staff.

"My experience has been that doctors and nurses based in the Causeway provide excellent care and the work pressures - that have led to recent strikes - must make it all the more difficult especially at this time of year," he said.

Meanwhile, the Belfast trust has confirmed that a ward at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children is to close temporarily due to a fungus infection.

Increased levels of 'aspergillus' - which affects the lungs and can cause breathing difficulties - were discovered in a ward of the children's haematology unit, with the closure due to last five weeks.

"During this period all at-risk patients will be cared for in other wards within the hospital with appropriate care plans in place," a trust spokesman said.

"We apologise to families impacted by this decision for the inconvenience it will cause.

"The safety and wellbeing of all our patients remains our top priority and every step is being taken to mitigate the short term risk to patients."