Emergency Care Waiting Time Statistics (July – September 2016)

Date published: 27 October 2016

The Department of Health (DoH) today published statistics on the time spent in emergency care departments (ED) during the months of July, August and September 2016.

Emergency care waiting time statistics

The statistical bulletin presents information on all new and unplanned review attendances during July, August and September 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.

Key Points

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

Attendances at Emergency Care Departments:

Attendances:

  • during September 2016, there were 65,060 attendances at ED’s, 3,084 (5.0%) more than in September 2015 (61,976)
  • of the 65,060 ED attendances during September 2016, 52,756 (81.1%) had attended a Type 1 ED, 5,371 (8.3%) attended a Type 2 ED and 6,933 (10.7%) attended a Type 3 ED
  • between September 2015 and September 2016, attendances increased at Type 1 (2,156, 4.3%), Type 2 (546, 11.3%) and Type 3 (382, 5.8%) ED’s

Left before Treatment Complete:

  • during September 2016, 3.5% of the 65,060 attendances at ED’s were recorded as having left the department before their treatment had been completed
  • Unplanned Re-Attendances within 7 Days:
  • during September 2016, 3.3% of the 65,060 attendances at ED’s were unplanned review attendances within 7 days of the original attendance for the same condition

Referrals by GP:

  • almost one in six (16.3%) attendances at ED’s in September 2016 had been referred by a GP, slightly higher than September 2015 (15.6%)

Time Spent in Emergency Care Departments:

Performance against targets:

  • over two thirds (71.6%) of patients attending a Type 1 department in September 2016 were treated and discharged, or admitted within 4 hours of their arrival, less than September 2015 (73.9%); however, during this period there was an 4.3% (2,156) increase in attendances at Type 1 ED’s.
  • 93.4% of patients attending a Type 2 department in September 2016 were treated and discharged, or admitted within 4 hours of their arrival, higher than September 2015 (91.9%)
  • all patients attending a Type 3 department were treated and discharged, or admitted within 4 hours of their arrival
  • during September 2016, 154 patients waited longer than 12 hours from arrival to be either treated and discharged home, or admitted, higher than the same month last year (64); however, during this period there was a 5.0% (3,084) increase in attendances at ED’s
  • over four in five (82.2%) patients attending ED’s commenced their treatment within 2 hours of being triaged, similar to September 2015 (82.1%)

Time to Triage:

  • the median waiting time from arrival at an ED to triage (initial assessment) by a medical professional was 8 minutes during September 2016, with 95 per cent of patients having their care needs assessed for the first time by a medical professional within 30 minutes of arrival

Time to Start of Treatment:

  • during September 2016, the median waiting time from triage to the start of treatment by a medical professional was 41 minutes, with 95 per cent of patients receiving treatment within 3 hours 35 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 22 minutes in September 2016, 3 minutes longer than the time spent in an ED during the same month last year (2 hours 19 minutes)
  • in September 2016, 95 per cent of attendances were discharged home within 6 hours 7 minutes of their arrival at the Type 1 ED, 15 minutes longer than the time spent in an ED in September 2015 (5 hours 52 minutes)
  • the median time spent in a Type 1 ED for patients admitted to hospital was 4 hours 58 minutes in September 2016, 18 minutes longer than the same month last year (4 hours 40 minutes)
  • the Royal Victoria reported the longest median time spent in an ED (6 hours 4 minutes) from arrival to admission to hospital, whilst RBHSC reported the shortest median time of 3 hours 28 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 across the north of Ireland. 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 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 in the north of Ireland and reflects the experience of patients and the timeliness of the care they received.

5. Readers are advised to be cautious when making direct comparisons between the north of Ireland, England, Scotland and Wales 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 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 the north of Ireland is not equivalent and should not be compared. Further information on comparability between the north of Ireland and other 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 24th October 2016.

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

8. Media queries about this press release please contact the DoH Press Office on 028 9052 0567. For out of office hours contact the Duty Press Officer via pager number 07623 974383 and your call will be returned. Follow us on Twitter @healthdpt

Share this page

Back to top