The Department of Health published data revealing that total attendances at emergency departments across Northern Ireland reached 217,038 between July, August and September 2026. This represents a 6.7% increase compared to the same period last year when 203,330 people sought care.
During September alone, 72,697 individuals accessed emergency services, marking a 7.5% rise from the previous month's figures of 67,633. The surge affected both primary and secondary care facilities, with Type 1 hospitals seeing 3,813 additional visits and Type 3 centres recording 1,251 more.
Of the total September attendances, 56,049 patients visited a Type 1 emergency department while 16,648 went to a Type 3 facility. The data also indicates that 8.1% of all visitors left before receiving treatment, an increase from 6.0% in September 2025.
Further analysis shows that 4.9% of attendees were unplanned review cases returning within seven days for the same condition. Additionally, more than one in nine visits originated from a general practitioner referral, standing at 12.3% compared to 12.4% in the prior year.
Regarding speed of care, over two-fifths of patients spent less than four hours in an emergency department during the quarter ending September 2026. This figure is lower than the 44.7% recorded for the identical period in 2025.
The bulletin provides monthly breakdowns on performance against government targets and tracks key milestones such as triage times and start of treatment durations throughout the patient journey.
Phone First, a service assessing needs before arrival, received 18,263 calls in September 2026. All figures relate to new and unplanned review attendances recorded during the three-month window.
The statistical release is available on the Emergency Care Waiting Times Website for public access.