Debate contribution: Altnagelvin Hospital: Access to Accident and Emergency
Debate contribution by Mr Gary Middleton on .
- MLA
- Mr Gary Middleton
- Party at the time
- Democratic Unionist Party
- Date
- 21 January 2025
- Type
- Debate contribution
- Business
- Adjournment
- Heading
- Altnagelvin Hospital: Access to Accident and Emergency
- Assembly identifier
- Official Report component 4749970
Read the official Assembly record
Text
Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker, and I thank the Member who secured the Adjournment debate. I begin by paying tribute to the staff at Altnagelvin, to Neil Guckian, the chief executive, and his team for all the effort and the work that they put in daily to make Altnagelvin the hospital that it is. Over the past years, we have seen some fantastic advancement in the facilities at Altnagelvin, not least of which is the radiotherapy centre. Those are positive steps forward in ensuring that the best healthcare is available to people when and if they need it. As has been mentioned, Altnagelvin Area Hospital is the oldest hospital in Northern Ireland and was built in 1960. When it opened, it had 391 beds. Today, it has 472 inpatient beds and 36 day-case beds. The Altnagelvin emergency department is one of the busiest in Northern Ireland. The statistics on Monday showed that the average waiting time was 89 minutes. I appreciate that that is the average and that, in many cases, people will wait much longer than that. We hear and see stories in the media of those who, unfortunately, are left in an unacceptable situation where they wait for many hours, if not many days. That said, there are many positive experiences in the emergency department too, and we must recognise that there are people who go in and get out and are dealt with efficiently and effectively. As for the emergency department, there will not be a person in the Chamber or, indeed, anyone across Northern Ireland who would not want to see a new and improved emergency department. We all want to see that. We know that the emergency department at Altnagelvin is not fit for purpose, not least in providing support for those who come in with particular mental illnesses. We were contacted today by the Alzheimer's Society. What special arrangements are in place for individuals who suffer from dementia, for example? When a new A&E department comes along or when a business case is put forward, all those issues need to be taken into account. It needs to be an inclusive facility that meets the needs of everyone in our society, regardless of their background or the issue that brings them to A&E.
One of my concerns about access, which has not been touched on just yet, is access to GPs. That is an issue that we really have to grapple with. From my personal experience, many people feel that, if they cannot get access to their GP to address the issues that they have, they have no alternative but to show up at the emergency department, even though that, obviously, is not the best place for them. We have to look at why people go to the emergency department in the first place if they do not particularly need to be there. The other issue, which has been touched on, is that of bed-blocking and the lack of beds and community care in our communities. That is another issue that needs to be addressed in order to ensure that people can be discharged effectively and in a timely manner to allow more people to come forward. It is important that the Minister come forward with timelines. My understanding is that a business case has to come forward. We would like to see that approved as soon as possible. Politically, there is an onus on all of us to support the Minister in his work to ensure that he receives the funding. I offer that commitment: I will be lobbying to ensure that that finance is there. Not only do the people of the Foyle constituency deserve it, but the staff and those who meet the needs of the community in that facility very much deserve it.
632 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Assessment
Jev’s structured answers met the documented threshold for “not flagged”.
- Overall probability that the activity is being used to promote, exploit or escalate an identity-based controversy: 0.03 (flagging needs at least 0.70; at or below 0.30 is not flagged).
- None of the five culture-war criteria was met (each was below 0.60).
- Assessed as legitimate policy scrutiny (0.94).
- No identity-based framing was identified (1.00).
- Subject area: Disability (including neurodivergence and mental health), disabled people and disability or sickness benefits.
- The overall probability was at or below the not-flagging threshold.
This is an AI-generated assessment of the text, made against published criteria. It is not a finding of fact about the MLA or their intentions. The Assembly record itself is the fact.
Jev’s structured answers
| Question | Probability | Met? |
|---|---|---|
| Identity framing | 0.03 | No |
| Sectarian or communal antagonism | 0.02 | No |
| Cultural grievance politics | 0.01 | No |
| Dog-whistle messaging | 0.03 | No |
| Controversy escalation | 0.02 | No |
| Legitimate policy scrutiny | 0.94 | Yes |
| Overall judgement | 0.03 | At or below not-flagging threshold |
| Option | Probability |
|---|---|
| No identity-based framing (chosen) | 1.00 |
| Reports or questions it | 0.00 |
| Criticises or condemns it | 0.00 |
| Adopts it | 0.00 |
| Subject | Probability |
|---|---|
| Disability (including neurodivergence and mental health), disabled people and disability or sickness benefits | 0.99 |
| No identity-related subject | 0.01 |
| Flags, emblems, symbols, names and memorials | 0.00 |
| Parades, bonfires and commemorations | 0.00 |
| Irish language, Ulster-Scots and language policy | 0.00 |
Assessed 21 October 2026 at 11:48 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.
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