Emergency Care Waiting Time Statistics (April

The Department of Health (DoH) today published statistics on the time spent in emergency care departments (ED) throughout Northern Ireland during the months of April, May and June 2023.

The statistical bulletin presents information on all new and unplanned review attendances during April, May and June 2023. It details information on the time spent in EDs during each of these months including; the monthly performance against the DoH emergency care waiting times target for EDs and the time waited for key milestones during a patient’s journey through ED, whilst they are being cared for in an ED, including the time to triage and time to start of treatment.

Please note that this statistical release includes information on two new urgent care services (i) PhoneFirst and (ii) Urgent Care Centres, which were introduced in late 2020, to assess patients’ needs before arrival at an ED, and ensure they receive the right care, at the right time, and in the right place, outside ED if appropriate. These new services may in part help explain the reduction in the number of patients attending EDs.

This information release is published on the Emergency Care Waiting Times Website.

Key Points:

Attendances at Emergency Care Departments:

Urgent and Emergency Care Attendances:

• In June 2023, 15,020 calls / attendances were received by PhoneFirst and Urgent Care Centre services, from patients who may previously have attended an ED. A total of 2,266 (15.1%) resulted in an attendance at an ED, whilst 12,754 patients did not go on to attend an ED.
• During June 2023, 69,123 patients in total attended an ED, and 12,754 attended PhoneFirst / Urgent Care Centre services without further referral to an ED; a total of 78,729 patients attending all urgent and emergency care services.

Emergency Care Attendances:

• During June 2023, there were 69,123 attendances at EDs in Northern Ireland, 4,277 (6.6%) more than in June 2022 (64,846).
• Of the 69,123 ED attendances during June 2023, 59,124 (85.5%) had attended a Type 1 ED, 4,299 (6.2%) attended a Type 2 ED and 5,700 (8.2%) attended a Type 3 ED.
• Between June 2022 and June 2023, attendances increased at Type 1 EDs (3,453, 6.2%), Type 2 EDs (169, 4.1%) and Type 3 EDs (655, 13.0%).
• There were 201,744 attendances at EDs during the quarter ending 30 June 2023, 4.0% (7,772) more than during the same quarter in 2022 (193,972).

Left before Treatment Complete:

• During June 2023, 6.4% of all ED attendances left before their treatment was complete, compared with 7.0% in June 2022.

Unplanned Re-Attendances within 7 Days:

• During June 2023, 3.7% of the 69,123 ED attendances were unplanned review attendances who had returned to the same ED within 7 days of their original attendance for the same condition.

Referrals by GP:

• During June 2023, almost one in six (16.3%) attendances at EDs had been referred by a GP, compared with 15.6% in June 2022.

Time Spent in Emergency Care Departments:

Performance against Targets

• Almost half (47.2%) of attendances at Type 1 EDs in June 2023 spent less than 4 hours in ED, compared with 88.8% at Type 2 EDs and 98.2% at Type 3 EDs
• During the quarter ending 30 June 2023, more than half (51.9%) of patients spent less than 4 hours at an ED, compared with 53.1% during the same quarter in 2022.
• Over four fiths (88.8%) of patients attending a Type 2 ED in June 2023 were treated and discharged, or admitted within 4 hours of their arrival, compared with 85.9% in June 2022.
• Almost all (98.2%) of patients attending a Type 3 ED were treated and discharged, or admitted within 4 hours of their arrival, compared with 99.4% in June 2022.
• Between June 2022 and June 2023, the number waiting over 12 hours increased from 8,193 to 8,918, accounting for 12.9% of attendances in June 2023.

Time to Triage:

• During June 2023, the median waiting time from arrival at an ED to triage (initial assessment) by a medical professional was 11 minutes, with 95 percent of patients having their care needs assessed for the first time by a medical professional within 1 hour 5 minutes of arrival.

Time to Start of Treatment:

• During June 2023, the median waiting time from triage to the start of treatment by a medical professional was 1 hour 8 minutes, with 95 percent of patients receiving treatment within 6 hours 19 minutes of being triaged.
• Over two thirds (66.4%) of patients attending EDs in June 2023 commenced their treatment within 2 hours of being triaged, compared with 64.6% in June 2022.

Total Time in Emergency Care Department:

• The median time patients discharged home (not admitted) spent in a Type 1 ED was 3 hours 37 minutes in June 2023, 8 minutes less than the time taken during the same month last year (3 hours 45 minutes).
• The median time patients who were admitted to hospital spent in a Type 1 ED was 13 hours 11 minutes in June 2023, 36 minutes more than the same month last year (12 hours 35 minutes).
• During June 2023, Craigavon Area reported the longest median time spent in ED from arrival to admission (20 hours 22 minutes), whilst the RBHSC reported the shortest time (4 hours 35 minutes).