EXCLUSIVE: ALTNAGELVIN Hospital is failing to meet its patient waiting time targets.
Derry Daily can reveal that a total of 14 patients had to wait 12 HOURS or more to be treated at the hospital in the first three months of this year.
And this is more than double the figure for the same period in 2014.
We can also reveal that less than two thirds of patients who attended the hospital in the first quarter of 2015 were seen in four hours or less.
The Department of Health has set all hospitals across the North a target of 95 per cent for the treatment of patients within fours.
But Altnagelvin fell well short of the target coming in at 67.4 per cent.
Figures published by the health department on Wednesday showed that the number of patients being treated and discharged home, or admitted within four hours, decreased from 71.4% to 69.7% between January and March across the North
It falls below the department’s current target of 95%.
Health and Social Council chief executive Valerie Watts said: “It is regrettable that many patients waited longer than 12 hours in some emergency departments during the period January to March 2015.
“No patient should have to wait longer than 12 hours and I apologise to those patients and their families who have experienced delays.”
The department said attendance at all emergency departments in the North increased by 6,582 over the past three months, from 54,909 to 61,491.
Ms Watts said it has been a “very challenging winter”.
She continued: “There were over 3,000 more attendances and 1000 more admissions compared to the same period last year.
“Of particular note there has been a significant increase in the number of frail elderly patients with complex needs requiring longer stays in hospital and as a result requiring more complex care packages to facilitate their discharge from hospital.
“This has contributed to pressures throughout the entire Health and social care system.
“Whilst the increase in the number of patients waiting longer than 12 hours in this quarter is extremely disappointing it should be noted that there has been a steady improvement over the last number of years since 2011/12 when over 10,000 patients waited longer than 12 hours, and we will continue to work with trusts to put in place measures to improve timely access to emergency care.”
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