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Belfast Live
Belfast Live
National
Jane Corscadden

Belfast A&E warning as patients waiting up to 18 hours in emergency departments

A health trust in Northern Ireland has taken to social media to warn that long waits are to be expected in emergency departments.

In a post online, the Belfast Trust detailed that adult emergency departments at the Royal Victoria Hospital and the Mater Hospital are "exceptionally busy" on Tuesday.

This means anyone attending with a non-urgent condition will have a very long wait ahead, "currently up to 18 hours" in the Royal's A&E.

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Due to this "extreme pressure," the Trust is asking people to only attend emergency departments if they have an urgent condition.

It comes a week after the Belfast Trust issued a similar appeal to the public.

A spokesperson for the Trust said: "The EDs at the Royal Victoria Hospital and Mater Hospital are currently exceptionally busy. Anyone attending an ED with a non-urgent condition will have a very long wait to be seen – currently up to 18 hours in the RVH ED.

"Please only attend if your condition is urgent."

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