Tens of thousands of patients at Emergency Departments (EDs) in Northern Ireland waited over 12 hours in the last few months alone, according to the latest UK government figures.
The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) is calling for the Northern Ireland Executive to commit to ending ED overcrowding, as over 11,000 patients waited more than 12 hours in June – the worst of any June since records began.
Data on ED performance in Northern Ireland, released today and covering April, May and June 2026, showed more than 20% of patients (or an average of 12,201 per month) who attended major (Type 1) ED’s waited more than half a day before being discharged, admitted or transferred.
Meanwhile, 31.9% waited fewer than four hours. The system-wide target is 95%.
Dr Michael Perry, RCEM Northern Ireland Vice President, said: “Our Emergency Departments in Northern Ireland are in a year-round crisis.
“Gone are the days when summer was the ‘easier’ time of year in A&E. As today’s figures show, our services are running hot throughout the year. It is unsustainable.
“The vast majority of our patients are waiting longer than they should be. For many, that is a significant cause of worry. For a not insignificant number – these long waits pose a threat to their life.
“Patients line our corridors, being treated in every corner of the ED. Meanwhile, staff are doing everything they can to keep up with demand that is magnitudes higher than we would have typically expected at this time of year, all the while trying their best to deliver excellent care.”
The cause of this crisis is not overwhelming numbers of people attending EDs, though departments did see an increase in attendances compared to the same quarter last year.
The true driver is a complete breakdown of patient flow throughout the hospital, driven largely by delays in discharging patients from the ‘back door’ of our hospitals.
RCEM continues to call for the Northern Ireland Executive to eradicate corridor care and commit to a system-wide approach to ending ED overcrowding, reducing delayed discharges and improved social care arrangements.
Dr Perry said: “We need the policymakers to make improving patient flow a priority. Easing congestion at the back door of our hospitals will help us in the front.
“We cannot go on like this, and I worry what winter has in store.”