Mater Hospital: Trust apologises as patient faces four-day wait for admission

A man who has not been allowed to see his wife in the emergency department of a Belfast Hospital says he feels as if he has been asked to "abandon" her.

Frank Woodside's wife, Maureen, suffers from the lung condition, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

She was brought into the Mater's Emergency Department on Saturday and he was told it might be four days before she gets a bed in a ward.

The Belfast Trust has apologised for the situation.

"Basically they're just saying: 'Leave your wife with us and hopefully you'll get her back in three or four days'", said Mr Woodside.

"It makes me feel like they're asking me to abandon my wife."

Mr Woodside said he was told that none of the family could visit.

"Saturday, Sunday and Monday, there's three days, she hasn't got a bed yet and she's 70 years of age. I'm concerned about my wife. She's the most important thing to me."

Mr Woodside said also he felt there should be a separate entrance for people who had Covid-19 and was concerned about the risks.

In a statement, the trust said a very high number of patients had been attending emergency departments across Northern Ireland. It said it had also stepped in to support Craigavon Area Hospital. Ambulances had been diverted away from the hospital ED twice in the space of 24 hours.

The trust acknowledged that patients who needed to be admitted were waiting "an unacceptably long time" because of increased demand as well as difficulties discharging patients needing a care package or a nursing home place.

"We are very sorry for these lengthy delays, but we would like to reassure that whilst it is not always immediately possible to move patients to a ward in a timely manner, patients continue to receive compassionate care by our nursing staff in ED," the statement said.

The trust pointed out that those who have tested positive for Covid-19 are cared for separately in a designated area with dedicated staff.

Bathroom facilities are also separate for those patients and these are not accessed by other patients or staff.

"Infection control measures are in place across Belfast Trust sites, including robust cleaning schedules and staff caring for patients with suspected or confirmed Covid-19 wear appropriate PPE as per public health guidelines," the statement said.