BBC News
By Marie-Louise Connolly & Lesley Anne McKeown
BBC News NI Health Correspondent
Published
Major change is required if Northern Ireland s emergency departments are to avoid another exceptionally difficult winter, a senior consultant has warned.
Dr Brendan Lavery, who works for the Western Health Trust, said standing still is not an option .
He described the system as currently operating on a knife edge .
The Department of Health said it was a very challenging time for staff with Covid-19 restrictions impacting on an already fragile system .
Speaking to BBC News NI, Dr Lavery likened the situation to Groundhog Day with decade-long problems like capacity and staffing exacerbated by the lingering effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on other healthcare services.