To ask the Minister of Health to detail (i) how many people were admitted to Emergency Departments in 2022; and (ii) how many of these people waited more than six hours to be admitted.

Information on (i) the number of attendances at Emergency Departments (EDs) in Northern Ireland, in 2022, and (ii) how many of those attendances spent more than 6 hours in ED after arrival, before being admitted to hospital, is provided in Table 1 overleaf.

Please note that the number of attendances is based on new and unplanned review attendances only and does not equate to the number of patients treated, as a patient may attend emergency care departments more than once during each year.

A new attendance refers to the first unplanned attendance by a patient for a new clinical condition at an ED / Minor Injuries Unit (MIU).

An unplanned review attendance relates to any patient who returns to an ED / Minor Injuries Unit (MIU) without written instruction, for the same or related clinical condition within 30 days of the first (initial) attendance.

The length of time a patient waits refers to the time between entering the ED and being logged in at reception, until leaving the ED via discharge or admission to hospital.

Table 1: Number of Attendances (New and Unplanned Reviews Only) at Emergency Departments in Northern Ireland in 2022, and of those, the Number who Spent more than 6 Hours in ED from Arrival, before being Admitted to Hospital