“WINTER illness” was the key factor behind increased demand for the Emergency Department leading to a reduction in clinical capacity in other parts of the General Hospital, Health has said.
A report presented to the recent meeting of the Health Advisory Board showed that gastroenterolgy, spinal orthopaedics and genetic testing were the worst-hit areas.
In the Quality Performance Report, it was stated that: “There has been a slight increase of 43 patients waiting over 365 days for a first outpatient appointment, this is a direct result of clinic capacity being reduced to ensure consultants and senior medical staff availability to manage the emergency activity through the Emergency Department.”
The report noted that all patients had been clinically triaged and that no clinical harm associated with the longer waits had been reported to date.
Increased demand for the Emergency Department also led to a reduction in bed capacity for elective inpatients, causing a rise of 19 in the number of patients waiting more than a year for elective surgery.
It was reported to the board that orthopaedics had been particularly badly affected in January.
A Health Department spokesperson said: “In January there was an increase in activity within our Emergency Department. This demand, which is consistent with other winter months, was driven particularly by respiratory infections and normal winter viruses.
“The increase in ED activity had an impact upon the number of elective beds available. This is because the patients with winter illnesses admitted via ED into the hospital tended to be frail, elderly or had other long-term conditions and so were more acutely ill and required a longer stay in hospital.”
