Northern Ireland health service pressure amazingly unprecedented - surgeon

The health service is facing amazingly unprecedented pressure, the Northern Ireland director of the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) has said.

Prof Mark Taylor warned that the system is "running on red".

His comments come after it was confirmed that most health trusts are starting to cancel non-urgent operations because of hospital pressures.

Prof Taylor said cancellations leave people waiting in pain and distress.

Northern Ireland's health service has faced months of pressure, with the crisis continuing to escalate in the new year.

In the past week - one described as hellishly difficult by BBC News NI health correspondent Marie-Louise Connolly - it was reported that an inquiry is taking place into eight deaths after ambulance delays.

An emergency department nurse told BBC News NI that his ward resembled a war zone, while the Royal College of Emergency Doctors said mitigating measures to get people admitted and out of hospital quicker were "not working".

Prof Taylor said cancelling non-urgent surgeries had a knock-on effect on pressures on emergency departments (EDs).

"Many of the people coming to EDs are coming with flare-ups of the particular problem they are on a waiting list to be rectified for," he added.

Referring to Department of Health stats from November, Prof Taylor said there are more than 375,000 people waiting on a first appointment with a consultant and 124,000 waiting for admission to hospital for surgery or treatment.

He said: "The frustration comes from we know why we are in this position, we have rehearsed this for many years now.

"Unfortunately in the aftermath of Covid we have a twindemic of flu and Covid.

"We have staff reductions, we have the longest waiting lists. We have primary care in great distress."

He added: "We can't sit in winter 2023 having this same conversation."

The pressures on the health service have been intensified by high cases of both Covid-19 and flu.

The Department of Health said that, as of Thursday, there were 374 patients in hospital with Covid-19 across Northern Ireland - a total that represented 11% of hospital beds.

That compares to 226 patients in hospital with Covid on 5 December.

It said for a significant number of those patients, Covid "will not be the principal reason for their ill-health and hospitalisation".

However, it encouraged anyone eligible for Covid and flu vaccination to get their jabs.

"The potential for hospital-acquired infection is heightened when Covid-19 rates increase in the community," the department stated.

"This is another reason why timely discharge from hospital is important for patients who are medically fit to leave.

"It is also vital to keep following public health advice on preventing the spread of all respiratory infections."

Dr Gillian Armstrong of the Public Health Agency said: "We have seen an increase in flu, Covid, and other respiratory illnesses currently circulating.

"We do have a number of people who are in hospital as a result of those illnesses and a number of people whose illnesses will be complicated further by those infections, so it is a significant issue.

"That is right across the spectrum - from GPs right the way up to critical care and intensive care units."

On Thursday, all Northern Ireland health trusts, except the Belfast Trust, said they had taken the decision to cancel non-urgent operations to increase bed capacity for unscheduled admissions.

The Belfast Trust said it had not postponed any surgical procedures and there were no plans to do so.

It said cancer surgery, carried out at Belfast City Hospital, is "protected from unscheduled care pressures".

"Regional surgical services are largely protected at the Royal Victoria Hospital and planned orthopaedic procedures are going ahead in Musgrave Park Hospital."

It paid tribute to staff for "their huge efforts in delivering for our patients against extraordinary pressures".

The Western Trust said a small number of procedures have been postponed, including orthopaedic procedures.

The Northern Trust said it had postponed "eight non-red flag surgeries" this week in order to increase bed capacity for unscheduled admissions.

Meanwhile, the South Eastern Trust said it had planned ahead and reduced the number of patients booked in for procedures during the winter months.

It added that the trust may have to postpone some planned surgery and outpatient appointments at short notice.

Some elective orthopaedic surgery has also been cancelled in the Southern Health Trust, which said it was "working hard to ensure all postponed patients are offered a new date".