Mrs Dodds said,
“The latest figures on A&E waiting times, with patients at Craigavon Area Hospital waiting over 13 hours and Causeway Hospital over 12, are deeply concerning and highlight the urgent need for systemic reform in our health service.
The Department’s published plan for winter pressures is beyond woeful. Utterly inadequate. The plan has all the hallmarks of a copy and paste from last year’s plan which also failed.
It is completely unacceptable that people are enduring such long waits, both in emergency departments and in ambulances outside hospitals, with reports of some patients waiting up to 19 hours in ambulances for a bed. These delays put lives at risk and place an immense strain on patients, their families, and our frontline healthcare workers.
This crisis is not the fault of hardworking NHS staff, who are doing everything they can in extremely challenging circumstances. The root causes lie in a lack of reform and failing processes.
It is vital that all parties work together to deliver long-overdue reforms and provide the people of Northern Ireland with the healthcare they deserve.”