To ask the Minister of Health for his assessment of the health and safety of patients waiting for long periods in Emergency Departments for admittance to hospital and treatment.

My Department recognises that patients are experiencing significant delays for admission to hospital beds across all of our acute hospital sites leading to crowding in Emergency Departments and delayed ambulance off loads with a subsequent delay for the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) in responding to emergency 999 calls. Although the issues are system-wide, pressures do culminate in Emergency Departments at the front door of the hospital. We are doing everything we can to reduce this pressure. We are continuously working to improve our range of community services, unscheduled care and same day emergency care services to avoid hospital admission and improve patient flow where possible.

Unfortunately, the demand for hospital services has resulted in some of our patients being cared for in additional care spaces such as beds, chairs and trollies in non-clinical areas, including corridors within ward and department areas. Whilst this is not the standard we want in providing services, our priority remains to ensure the best possible care and treatment to patients. Our staff are working in difficult circumstances to protect the safety and dignity of patients

All additional care spaces being used have been risk assessed by Trust staff with the aim to use these areas for the shortest period of time as possible. Senior staff within the Trusts monitor the use and de-escalation of any additional beds and care spaces on a daily basis.

As patient safety remains my Department and Trusts’ priority, careful consideration is made in identification of patients who are deemed appropriate for allocation to an additional bed/care space, utilising an agreed set of exclusion criteria. A patient who is placed in an additional care space receives both medical and nursing care dictated by their clinical need to the same safety standard of all patients placed within a designated ward bed space. Trusts will increase the number of staffs on duty for these respective areas so that these patients have access to appropriate care, although mitigations against deficits in the privacy and dignity of patients are much more challenging and, regrettably, at times insufficient to address privacy and dignity concerns.