The latest data from the Department of Health on activity and waiting times at emergency care departments (EDs) in Northern Ireland has shown there were 39,062 attendances at the South West Acute Hospital (SWAH) in 2021/22 (April 1, 2021 - March 31, 2022).

This was up by 23 per cent from 31,711 attendances in 2020/21, and was part of a total of 123,885 attendances at EDs in the Western Trust.

The statistics also give information on new, unplanned and planned review attendances, waiting times at EDs, ambulance response times, calls and incidents.

Out of the 39,062 attendances at the SWAH in 2021/22, some 35,304 (90.4 per cent) of these were new, 3,391 (8.7 per cent) were unplanned reviews, and 367 (0.9 per cent) were planned reviews.

Looking at waiting times for those new and unplanned review attendances of 38,684, more than half (20,930) were seen within four hours, 13,742 were waiting between four and 12 hours, while 4,022 were waiting more than 12 hours.

The percentage of attendances seen within four hours at the SWAH in 2021/22 (54.1 per cent) dropped from 65.2 per cent in 2020/21.

In 2017/18, 75.3 per cent of attendances were seen within four hours.

In the other Western Trust hospitals, the percentage of attendances seen within four hours in Altnagelvin was 41.5 per cent, while Omagh was at 98.5 per cent.

Attendances waiting more than 12 hours at the SWAH ED saw figures almost double from 2020/21 (2,025) to 4,022. By comparison, in 2017/18, the figure was 391.

The percentage of attendances commencing treatment within two hours of triage at the SWAH was 80.6 per cent in 2021/22, compared to 91.7 per cent in 2020/21 In Altnagelvin, it was 58.5 per cent, while Omagh’s was 96 per cent.

Ministerial targets for Northern Ireland on emergency care waiting times for 2018/19 stated that 95 per cent of those attending EDs should be either treated and discharged home, or admitted, within four hours of arrival, and no patient should wait longer than 12 hours.

Looking at 2021/22, the statistics show that the median waiting time from arrival to triage for attendances at the SWAH was 16 minutes – an increase of five minutes from 2020/21.

The median waiting time then from triage to start of treatment was 41 minutes in 2021/22 – 20 minutes higher than in 2020/21.

Continuing to look at waiting times, the median time for those waiting to be admitted to the hospital in 2021/22 was eight hours and 21 minutes at the SWAH, 12 hours and 39 minutes at Altnagelvin, and two hours 18 minutes in Omagh. For those who were discharged from the ED, the median waiting time at the SWAH was three hours and 16 minutes, while the 95th percentile was 11 hours and 13 minutes.

All waiting times at the SWAH in 2021/22 increased compared to 2020/21.

GP referrals to the ED increased slightly, from 23.3 per cent in 2020/21 to 23.8 per cent in 2021/22.

There was also a slight increase in the number who reattended the ED within seven days, up from 6.4 per cent to 6.8 per cent. The data also shows that five per cent of those attending EDs left before treatment was complete in 2021/22.