A local news network discovered that five Northern Ireland health trusts have breached their A&E waiting time and targets. The network has found that performances in Northern and Belfast trusts were extremely inadequate. The year-end figures show the high pressure of the accident and emergency departments in the area.
It was estimated that a total of 10,213 breaches were committed by five of the health trusts. These are patients who weren’t seen within the 12-hour target which patients must be seen. In 2010-2011, there were only 7,386 of these patients who were not met within 12 hours of their waiting time in the hospitals. However, an estimated 80% of patients were admitted within their arrival during the last year.
John Compton, the medical board’s chief executive are said to meet with other board members to discuss the issues that raise the many problems of the emergency departments in North Ireland. Health committee briefing papers suggest that there was a 751% rise in the breaches of A%E in the country since 2007.
Many health officials, including the health minister and the Health and Social Care Board’s chief executive claim that the service cannot be sustained properly in the near future.
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