EMERGENCY medicine in Northern Ireland is in "crisis", according to a new survey of consultants.
The Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM) said many of its members felt "ashamed, appalled, guilty and crushed" after a days' work.
It said 70 per cent of the north's 88 emergency medicine consultants had participated in the survey, which revealed that many believe the sector is "in a state of crisis".
Staff reported feeling "burn-out, impotent, exasperated, crushed and overwhelmed".
Some of the key findings of the survey reveal that 98 per cent believe that there is an insufficient number of medical and nursing staff to cope with current demand in emergency departments.
It also found that 97 per cent have at times felt stressed during their working day because of an inability to deliver high quality care to patients.
The survey also revealed that 91 per cent do not believe it is sustainable working in emergency care in the current environment.
It comes as figures released yesterday by the Department of Health reveal that 9,567 people waited more than 12 hours to be treated and discharged or admitted from hospitals in the north during the first quarter of this year.
This compared to 3,115 during the same period last year.
Statistics also show 65.5 per cent of patients attending A&E were treated within fours hours, a decrease of eight per cent for the same period last year.
There was also a decrease in the number of people being treated within two hours of being assessed.
