Group reports increase in Emergency Dept patients, INMO calls figures 'catastrophic'

There has been an average 8.7% increase in the number of people attending hospital Emergency Departments in the six weeks to the middle of February.

The Emergency Department Taskforce Implementation Group, which met this morning, says despite the increase in attendances, there has been a fall of 2.2% in the number of people waiting on trolleys, when compared with the same period last year.