To ask the Minister of Health to detail any steps his Department has taken to ensure all (i) Emergency Departments; and (ii) Urgent Care Centres, are accessible for parents with children.

All Emergency Departments (EDs) and Urgent Care Centres (UCCs) in Northern Ireland are already accessible for parents with children, with the exception of the Belfast Health and Social Care (HSC) Trust where those under the age of 16 are instead seen within the dedicated Children’s Hospital.

Trust-specific detail is given below:

Within Belfast HSC Trust, access to both the Mater and the Royal EDs and the Royal UCC is available from a young person’s 16th birthday, as the Royal UCC site has a designated Children’s Hospital. This ensures that children and young people up to the age of 16 are cared for within the dedicated Children’s Hospital, while those aged 16 and over can access the Mater and Royal EDs.

The Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children (RBHSC) Emergency Department is the only ED in Northern Ireland dedicated exclusively to caring for children and young people up to their 16th birthday. There is no designated Urgent Care Centre within RBHSC. The RBHSC ED does face certain estate limitations due to the age of the facility, which can restrict some aspects of accessibility. Within these constraints, every effort is made to ensure the environment is welcoming and suitable for young patients and their parents. Building work has begun on a New Children’s Hospital which will include a new Children’s ED.

The Northern HSC Trust has a separate area in Antrim Area Hospital ED consisting of six assessment spaces specifically for children, accessible from the main ED entrance with dedicated triage. Children’s nurses and Medical Staff are assigned to this area daily. In addition, the Emergency Nurse Practitioner service will also see children with minor injuries over the age of three. The Causeway Hospital has one designated cubicle for children which is also a sensory room and has a separate children’s area.

In the South Eastern HSC Trust, the ED at the Ulster Hospital includes a dedicated paediatric zone providing a child-friendly environment for assessment and treatment. This area is supported by medical and nursing staff with appropriate paediatric training, and includes access to a sensory room to support children with additional needs. Within the Ulster UCC, a designated play area is available within the main waiting area to support children and families while awaiting assessment. When the UCC closes at 8.00pm, parents and children continue to be accommodated within the main ED to ensure continuity of care. Facilities to support parents are also available, including a breastfeeding room accessible 24 hours a day on Level 1, adjacent to the UCC. In addition, staff can facilitate appropriate privacy within clinical areas. In Downe and Lagan Valley UCCs, there are designated play areas available within the main waiting areas to support children and families while awaiting assessment.

In the Southern HSC Trust, both Daisy Hill and Craigavon Hospital Emergency Departments are accessible for parents with children, with designated children’s cubicles and separate waiting areas for children and parents.

The Western HSC Trust’s EDs in Altnagelvin Hospital and South West Acute Hospital both include a dedicated paediatric area providing a child-friendly environment for waiting, assessment and treatment. These areas are supported by medical and nursing staff, and include access to sensory rooms to support children with additional needs. Facilities to support parents are also available in both EDs, including private feeding rooms and baby changing facilities. Within the Urgent Care and Treatment Centre in Omagh Hospital & Primary Care Complex, a designated play area is available within the main waiting area to support children and families while awaiting assessment. While the Minor Injury Unit at Altnagelvin has no dedicated paediatric assessment space, there is the availability of single assessment rooms and staff have access to toys and paediatric equipment suitable for assessment.

The measures set out above aim to ensure that services are as accessible and supportive as possible for parents and children attending unscheduled care settings. The Department will continue to work with Trusts to ensure that environments and services meet the needs of all patients, including families with young children.