Altnagelvin Area Hospital had longest ED waiting time in Northern Ireland during December

Altnagelvin Area Hospital has emerged with the longest time spent in its Emergency Department (ED) among all hospitals in Northern Ireland during December 2023.

The reported median time from arrival to admission stood at 21 hours and 52 minutes, according to statistics released by the Department of Health.

Emergency care waiting time statistics for October to December 2023 showed that patients admitted to hospital faced extended waits in Type 1 Emergency Departments (EDs), with a median time of 14 hours 22 minutes, surpassing the previous year's figure by 24 minutes.

Attendances at EDs across Northern Ireland remained high, with a total of 49,874 patients attending in December 2023, a slight decrease from the previous year.

However, the proportion of patients spending less than four hours in EDs decreased, with only 38.4% achieving this target. The number of patients waiting over 12 hours for treatment has risen from 8,243 in December 2022 to 8,613 in December 2023.

The Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children (RBHSC) reported the shortest median waiting time, at 5 hours 55 minutes.

On Tuesday, The UK Government confirmed details of a £3.3 billion funding package to support the restored powersharing administration at Stormont include £34 million to tackle spiralling hospital waiting lists.

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