New A&E at Derry’s Altnagelvin is ‘years, not months, away' says Nesbitt

The Health Minister dampened expectations of a speedy overhaul despite acknowledging facilities in the Derry A&E department were ‘shocking’ when he visited the hospital.

"It is worth recording that Altnagelvin Hospital has the oldest of the type-1 EDs, and it looks it. When I went to the ED at Altnagelvin Hospital, it was shocking, particularly the toileting facilities.

"A tranche of money has been found to do some temporary work with the existing ED, pending the building of the new ED, but that is years and not months away,” he told the Stormont Health Committee during a recent briefing.

The Health Minister said a range of measures have been taken at Altnagelvin to reduce pressure on the ED.

"Altnagelvin Hospital has the respiratory unit, which is opening extra hours, and the minor injuries unit. We are doing everything we can to find pathways to avoid using the ED where possible,” he said.

Mr. Nesbitt was asked by East Derry DUP MLA Alan Robinson if difficulties in accessing GP appointments was contributing to pressure on EDs generally.

He replied: “I cannot give you empirical evidence of that, and I should not determine health policy on anecdotal evidence. However, I went to see the minor injuries unit in the Royal Victoria Hospital, and there were people with packed lunches, flasks and podcasts.

"They said that they had not gone to their GP because they did not want to make 140 phone calls to get through. They knew they would have to wait five, six, seven or eight hours, but they had everything they needed to do that and were happy to wait.

"There has to be an element of it, but I cannot say whether it is in the top tier of significance. I am reluctant to say something that could come across as an accusation against GPs, and I am not doing that. Some unspecified number of people are making that personal decision.”

The Western Trust has submitted an Outline Business Case to the Department of Health for a new A&E.