:00:00. > :00:00.another awe-male leadership team from being located. Here on BBC One,
:00:00. > :00:09.Health managers have urged the public to only visit hospital
:00:10. > :00:16.There's been a big rise in the number of patients at E and D
:00:17. > :00:18.departments - up 25% at the Ulster, 17% at Antrim
:00:19. > :00:29.Every year more people go through the doors
:00:30. > :00:32.It looks like 2016 will be no exception.
:00:33. > :00:35.At the weekend a surge in numbers prompted the Health
:00:36. > :00:38.and Social Care Board to issue a public plea.
:00:39. > :00:42.It said all emergency departments were under a "high level
:00:43. > :00:45.of pressure" and people shouldn't attend unless their "symptoms
:00:46. > :00:50.Here at the Ulster Hospital, the situation was described
:00:51. > :00:54.as extreme, with 25% more attendances
:00:55. > :01:01.But those working on the front line say the situation was exacerbated
:01:02. > :01:06.That absolutely puts pressure, especially on nursing staff,
:01:07. > :01:08.but patients who are waiting for prolonged periods of time
:01:09. > :01:13.That detracts from nursing staff and medical staff
:01:14. > :01:16.for front line care for patients presenting and will ultimately
:01:17. > :01:19.eat up the number of cubicles available to see patients.
:01:20. > :01:21.This evening around 17 patients are waiting in the Ulster's
:01:22. > :01:23.emergency department for a bed on a ward.
:01:24. > :01:26.The problem is some of those beds can't be freed up until nursing
:01:27. > :01:31.Discharge delays are an issue across Northern Ireland.
:01:32. > :01:34.It's been highlighted in figures obtained by an MLA which show
:01:35. > :01:40.the numbers waiting over eight weeks for a care package.
:01:41. > :01:44.Across the North, 229 people waiting to get back home with care packages
:01:45. > :01:46.across the North. That did shock me.
:01:47. > :01:49.On occasion the delay can be that there
:01:50. > :01:51.is simply no nursing home or residential home bed available
:01:52. > :01:53.for the patient, on other occasions it can be
:01:54. > :01:57.because it is not possible to secure a domiciliary care package
:01:58. > :02:01.that is appropriate for the patient's need and
:02:02. > :02:03.The winter pressures experienced here and at other emergency
:02:04. > :02:07.But with no cold snap so far this winter, it's possible
:02:08. > :02:12.more pressure could come to bear in the weeks ahead.
:02:13. > :02:20.The challenge for those in charge is meeting that need.
:02:21. > :02:22.And there'll be an interview with the Health Minister,
:02:23. > :02:26.Simon Hamilton, on Good Morning Ulster tomorrow morning.
:02:27. > :02:30.A 75-year-old woman has died following a crash involving two cars
:02:31. > :02:33.on the A2 between Bangor and Holywood.
:02:34. > :02:36.A man driving the second car was also taken to hospital.
:02:37. > :02:39.His injuries aren't life-threatening.
:02:40. > :02:42.The road was closed for several hours while the police investigated
:02:43. > :02:44.the crash, which happened at Carney Hill
:02:45. > :02:50.There were long tailbacks and traffic diversions.
:02:51. > :02:54.The Met Office has issued a warning of more heavy rain tonight,
:02:55. > :02:57.for eastern and southern parts of Northern Ireland.
:02:58. > :02:59.The wet weather has affected traffic and travel over the last couple
:03:00. > :03:03.of days, with heavy flooding in some rural areas.
:03:04. > :03:06.Parts of the Republic have again been very badly hit,
:03:07. > :03:14.Taking the plunge after four weeks of flooding.
:03:15. > :03:17.This is near Lisnaskea in County Fermanagh.
:03:18. > :03:21.The woman driving the car has three children and says she's no choice
:03:22. > :03:27.In recent days she's been forced to buy a new car - and a dinghy -
:03:28. > :03:42.Although you cannot see it in the video, alongside that laying there
:03:43. > :03:49.is a deep drain and if you go off the road or if the Jeep is pushed
:03:50. > :03:55.off the road, that is it. You can see it is nearly floating. It
:03:56. > :03:57.worries me but at the end of the day the bills are still coming in and
:03:58. > :03:58.have to be paid. Over the weekend dozens of roads
:03:59. > :04:01.were closed and some train Today, however, almost everything
:04:02. > :04:12.was operating as normal. We are aware a number of roads have
:04:13. > :04:16.been flooded in western Fermanagh. We have staff on stand-by 24 hours a
:04:17. > :04:18.day to deal with flooding incidents and have been doing that the last
:04:19. > :04:20.number of days. The situation off the roads, though,
:04:21. > :04:22.is proving difficult for some. This was just outside
:04:23. > :04:24.Lisburn this afternoon - heavy farming vehicles struggling
:04:25. > :04:26.in the soaking fields. This cemetery in East Belfast
:04:27. > :04:29.was forced to close early The heavy rainfall is causing
:04:30. > :04:34.problems here but it's nothing In recent days more than 260
:04:35. > :04:55.homes have been flooded, Today the Irish president visited
:04:56. > :05:01.some of the worst affected areas. More rain is forecast this week and
:05:02. > :05:02.services on both sides of the border will remain on stand-by over the
:05:03. > :05:04.coming days. Belfast City Council votes tomorrow
:05:05. > :05:07.night on whether to invite the Republic of Ireland football
:05:08. > :05:09.team to a reception marking qualification to the Euro
:05:10. > :05:11.finals this summer. It would be a joint event
:05:12. > :05:14.with the Northern Ireland team. But some councillors
:05:15. > :05:15.are against the Republic's inclusion as BBC Newsline's
:05:16. > :05:18.Mark Simpson reports. Two teams in green
:05:19. > :05:21.and one big question - should Northern Ireland
:05:22. > :05:24.and the Republic both be invited to Belfast City Hall
:05:25. > :05:27.for a fond farewell The reality of this
:05:28. > :05:33.city is that people have an allegiance to Ireland
:05:34. > :05:37.in its entirety, other people don't and that's fair enough so this
:05:38. > :05:40.is an acknowledgement of The double reception was proposed
:05:41. > :05:48.at the council by the SDLP Belfast is supposed to be open
:05:49. > :05:54.for everybody and that's what we're The final vote on the double invite
:05:55. > :06:01.will take base at a council meeting tomorrow night and Unionists say
:06:02. > :06:06.they'll be voting no. Belfast City Council has already
:06:07. > :06:10.held a successful reception for the Northern Ireland
:06:11. > :06:12.team in November and this was well attended
:06:13. > :06:15.by the entire squad, coaches and management,
:06:16. > :06:19.so to now hold another civic reception takes away
:06:20. > :06:23.from that original event, Regardless of what happens over
:06:24. > :06:30.the civic reception tomorrow night, will councillors be cheering
:06:31. > :06:34.for both teams this summer? Unless they're playing
:06:35. > :06:36.Northern Ireland I will certainly support all teams
:06:37. > :06:38.from the British Isles I will support the
:06:39. > :06:43.Republic of Ireland and hope they do well
:06:44. > :06:45.in the tournament. Will you be supporting
:06:46. > :06:48.Northern Ireland in the Euros? I'll be wishing them
:06:49. > :06:50.well, I wish them I support Ireland, that's my team,
:06:51. > :06:54.but that's fair enough. I would like to see anybody
:06:55. > :07:00.with a green shirt do well. In football terms, that
:07:01. > :07:06.sounds like a score draw. Almost 12,000 retired police
:07:07. > :07:10.officers and police widows in Northern Ireland did not
:07:11. > :07:13.receive their pension today because of a failure
:07:14. > :07:16.in processing payments. The police said there
:07:17. > :07:18.was a technical error It's hoped that payments should be
:07:19. > :07:21.in the pensioners' 2016 is a year of centenaries,
:07:22. > :07:27.anniversaries of two significant events in history -
:07:28. > :07:28.the Easter Rising To set the scene we have reports
:07:29. > :07:34.this week from Mark Simpson in Dublin and Mervyn Jess
:07:35. > :07:51.in northern France. 100 years on from the 1916 Easter
:07:52. > :08:01.rising, what is being done to mark the centenary? I've been finding
:08:02. > :08:06.out. 100 years after the Battle of the Somme, our report from the
:08:07. > :08:13.trenches of the 32nd Ulster division here in France.
:08:14. > :08:16.And that's from tomorrow here on BBC Newsline.
:08:17. > :08:19.What's the weather going to do to us over the next couple of days?
:08:20. > :08:29.We have more wet weather to get through tonight. We still have a
:08:30. > :08:34.weather warning across many areas, especially the east and south-east,
:08:35. > :08:38.until midnight. We then lose the warning but will continue to see wet
:08:39. > :08:42.weather through the night and temperatures will dip to five or
:08:43. > :08:49.six, so not especially Chile. Tomorrow stays unsettled, we can
:08:50. > :08:53.expect more wet weather of the RSC, especially for parts of Antrim,
:08:54. > :09:00.County Down and admire, drier conditions further west. It will be
:09:01. > :09:05.quite unsettled, no weather warnings across Ireland but some for
:09:06. > :09:10.Scotland, England, the south-west and south-east with spells of
:09:11. > :09:13.sunshine in between. Quite windy in places, gusts coming in from the
:09:14. > :09:18.east. Scattered showers will continue along eastern counties
:09:19. > :09:24.tomorrow afternoon and evening, drier further west where we may get
:09:25. > :09:27.sunshine, but in the evening most wet weather will give weight to
:09:28. > :09:33.drier conditions overnight into Wednesday. It will be Chile with
:09:34. > :09:38.temperatures falling below freezing in places, so a chilly but dry start
:09:39. > :09:42.to weapon states but by the end of the day the rain returns from the
:09:43. > :09:46.south, some of it heavy and persistent through Wednesday night.
:09:47. > :09:49.Cooler conditions Thursday and Friday with sunshine but also some
:09:50. > :09:51.scattered showers. Good night. But from me, good night.
:09:52. > :10:03.during Breakfast here on BBC One. You'd better come in
:10:04. > :10:07.with a brilliant product.