NI Emergency Care Waiting Time Statistics (October – December 2016)

The Department of Health (DoH) today published statistics on the time spent in emergency care departments (ED) throughout the north of Ireland during the months of October, November and December 2016.

The statistical bulletin presents information on all new and unplanned review attendances during October, November and December 2016.

It details information on the time spent in ED’s during each of these months including; the monthly performance against the DoH emergency care waiting times target for ED’s 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.

This information release is published on the Departmental website at www.health-ni.gov.uk/articles/emergency-care-waiting-times.

Key Points

The key findings presented in the statistical bulletin are listed below.

Attendances

• During December 2016, there were 62,094 attendances at ED’s, 3,360 (5.7%) more than in December 2015 (58,734)
• Of the 62,094 ED attendances during December 2016, 51,965 (83.7%) had attended a Type 1 ED, 4,790 (7.7%) attended a Type 2 ED and 5,339 (8.6%) attended a Type 3 ED
• Between December 2015 and December 2016, attendances increased at Type 1 (2,644, 5.4%), Type 2 (402, 9.2%) and Type 3 (314, 6.2%) ED’s

Left before Treatment Complete

• During December 2016, 3.8% of the 62,094 attendances at ED’s were recorded as having left the department before their treatment had been completed

Unplanned Re-attendances within 7 Days

• During December 2016, 3.2% of the 62,094 attendances at ED’s were unplanned review attendances within 7 days of the original attendance for the same condition

Referrals by GP

• Over one in six (17.7%) attendances at ED’s in December 2016 had been referred by a GP, slightly higher than December 2015 (17.3%)

Time Spent in Emergency Care Departments

Performance against targets

• Almost two thirds (65.4%) of patients attending a Type 1 department in December 2016 were treated and discharged, or admitted within 4 hours of their arrival, 5.4 percentage points less than December 2015 (70.8%); however, during this period there was a 5.4% (2,644) increase in attendances at Type 1 ED’s
• 84.6% of patients attending a Type 2 department in December 2016 were treated and discharged, or admitted within 4 hours of their arrival, 8.2 percentage points less than December 2015 (92.8%)
• All patients attending a Type 3 department were treated and discharged, or admitted within 4 hours of their arrival
• During December 2016, 887 patients waited longer than 12 hours from arrival to be either treated and discharged home, or admitted, more than treble the number during the same month last year (294); however, it may be worth noting that there was a 5.7% (3,360) increase in attendances during this period
• Over four in five (80.5%) patients attending ED’s in December 2016 commenced their treatment within 2 hours of being triaged, less than December 2015 (82.4%)

Time to Triage

• The median waiting time from arrival at an ED to triage (initial assessment) by a medical professional was 9 minutes during December 2016, with 95 per cent of patients having their care needs assessed for the first time by a medical professional within 34 minutes of arrival

Time to Start of Treatment

• During December 2016, the median waiting time from triage to the start of treatment by a medical professional was 45 minutes, with 95 per cent of patients receiving treatment within 3 hours 34 minutes of them having their care needs assessed for the first time

Total Time in Emergency Care Department

• The median time spent in a Type 1 ED by patients who were discharged home (not admitted) was 2 hours 34 minutes in December 2016, 12 minutes longer than the time spent in an ED during the same month last year (2 hours 22 minutes)
• The median time spent in a Type 1 ED for patients admitted to hospital was 6 hours 16 minutes in December 2016, 1 hour 18 minutes longer than the same month last year (4 hours 58 minutes)
• Antrim Area reported the longest median time spent in an ED (7 hours 25 minutes) from arrival to admission to hospital, whilst RBHSC reported the shortest median time of 3 hours 31 minutes

Notes to editors: 

1. This statistical bulletin reports the total time spent in an ED from arrival until admission, transfer or discharge for all new and unplanned review attendances at emergency care departments. The figures do not include planned review attendances.

2. Time is measured from when a patient arrives at the ED (time of arrival is recorded at registration or triage whichever is earlier (clock starts)) until the patient departs the ED (time of departure is defined as when the patient's clinical care episode is completed within the ED (clock stops)).

3. The current Ministerial targets for emergency care waiting times in 2016/17 state that:

‘From April 2016, 95% of patients attending any Type 1, 2 or 3 Emergency Care Department are either treated and discharged home, or admitted, within four hours of their arrival in the department; and no patient attending any Emergency Care Department should wait longer than 12 hours’
‘By March 2017, at least 80% of patients to have commenced treatment, following triage, within 2 hours’

4. Information which presents a summary of the emergency care clinical quality indicators for the north of Ireland has also been included in this release. This information is not National Statistics but has been included to provide a more comprehensive and balanced view of the care delivered by ED’s and reflects the experience of patients and the timeliness of the care they receive.

5. Readers are advised to be cautious when making direct comparisons between NI and other UK Jurisdictions as waiting times may not be measured in a comparable manner.  It should also be noted that the way in which emergency care services are delivered differs between UK jurisdictions. This means that the number and types of patients included in the figures may differ between countries. In particular, the 12-hour waiting time information published by England and NI is not equivalent and should not be compared. Further information on comparability between NI and other UK Jurisdictions are included in the ‘Emergency Care Waiting Time Statistics – Additional Guidance’ booklet. 

6. There are three separate categories of emergency care facility included in this publication:

Type 1 Department     A consultant-led service with designated accommodation for the reception of emergency care patients, providing both emergency medicine and emergency surgical services 24 hours a day.

Type 2 Department     A consultant-led service with designated accommodation for the reception of emergency care patients, but which does not provide both emergency medicine and emergency surgical services and/or has time-limited opening hours.

Type 3 Department     A minor injury unit with designated accommodation for the reception of patients with a minor injury and/or illness. It may be a doctor or nurse-led. A defining characteristic of this service is that it treats at least minor injuries and/or illnesses and can be routinely accessed without an appointment.

7. Figures incorporate all returns and amendments received from HSC Trusts up to 23rd January 2017.

8. Further information on Emergency Care Statistics is available from:

Hospital Information Branch
Department of Health
Annexe 2, Castle Buildings
Stormont
BT4 3SQ

Email:              statistics@health-ni.gov.uk

9. Media queries to DoH Press Office on 028 9052 0579, or out of office hours contact the Duty Press Officer via pager number 076 23974383 and your call will be returned. Follow us on Twitter @healthdpt

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