Health Minister Robbie Butler visited Altnagelvin hospital on Wednesday and confirmed that while a new emergency department constitutes a priority capital project for the Western Health and Social Care Trust, no funding is currently available for its construction. The minister indicated that the project would rank highly on the funding list should money become accessible in the future.
The existing emergency department at Altnagelvin is the oldest continuously operating 24-hour emergency facility in Northern Ireland. Originally designed to accommodate approximately 40,000 patients annually, the department now handles roughly double that volume. Butler acknowledged that current waiting times remain significantly longer than desired, despite efforts by trust leadership to address capacity challenges through existing measures.
The Western Health and Social Care Trust submitted revised proposals for the emergency department project to the Department of Health in July 2025. Butler’s predecessor Mike Nesbitt previously indicated that advancement would depend on securing both capital funding and operational costs. The health minister also raised concerns about budget allocations, disagreeing with UK Secretary of State Sir Chris Bryant’s characterization of executive spending as financially irresponsible, arguing instead that Northern Ireland is not funded at its agreed level of need.
Patients using Altnagelvin’s emergency department reported significant challenges. Some described prolonged waits in uncomfortable conditions, with individuals spending extended periods in waiting areas or chairs rather than receiving beds. One patient recounted spending 15 hours in an outside waiting room following a heart attack without medical observation or assistance. Staff shortages were cited as a contributing factor to service difficulties, with some accounts describing single nurses attending to multiple patients in cramped conditions.
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