Northern Ireland Ambulance Service under 'exceptional and unprecedented pressure'

The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service has warned it is under “exceptional and unprecedented pressure” this evening, with its ability to respond to 999 calls being severely affected.

Those delays mean ambulance crews tied up outside hospitals are unable to respond to new callouts.

The service described the current delays in hospital handovers as being at levels “not previously seen at this intensity".

The Ambulance Service told UTV that the delays are impacting ambulance availability and response times, when demand is surging.

Earlier today the service apologised to a 75-year-old man in Downpatrick who had to wait on the street with suspected fractures for almost five hours after he fell.

SDLP MLA Colin McGrath said: "Regrettably, this is a regular story that we hear, and all roads lead to the fact that ambulances are stuck outside very busy emergency departments and they're not able to get released, to be out on the road and able to deal with the situations that people are facing.

"But it is a sign that there is something very badly wrong with our system, and one has to ask about the minister and his winter preparedness plan because it appears now like it's completely obliterated."

NIAS insisted it is prioritising the sickest patients and those with life threatening conditions.

A statement said: "The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service is currently experiencing exceptional system pressure affecting our ability to respond to emergency calls, due to a sustained period of delayed ambulance handovers and reduced ambulance availability across the health system.

"Over the past 48 hours NIAS has experienced levels of ambulance handover delay that have not been seen at this level of intensity previously. This has placed significant strain on ambulance availability and response times.

"NIAS continues to prioritise the sickest patients and those with the most urgent clinical need, ensuring that life-threatening emergencies receive the fastest possible response available.

"In relation to the delay in responding to a 999 call, in Downpatrick this morning, NIAS would like to apologise to the patient for the length of time it took for an ambulance response.

"A major factor currently affecting ambulance availability is the time ambulances are required to wait to hand patients over into Emergency Departments.

"When ambulances are delayed, they are unable to return quickly to respond to further 999 calls.

"Trusts across the HSC system are working actively to improve patient flow, escalation arrangements and ambulance release processes in order to return ambulances to the community as quickly as possible.

"NIAS is also experiencing high levels of duplicate 999 calls, which is understandable when people are worried and waiting for help. We would ask the public not to phone back to check on the arrival of an ambulance, as this adds further pressure to our Emergency Operations Centre and can delay responses for others.

"However, if a patient’s condition deteriorates, you should always call 999 immediately. NIAS recognises the impact these delays have on patients and families and sincerely apologises to anyone experiencing lengthy waits.

"It is not the service we want to provide, but we are working closely with partners to stabilise the system and protect patient safety.

"As a planned measure to reduce unnecessary conveyance, senior paramedics based in our Emergency Operations Centre continue to triage calls to identify those that can be safely supported through appropriate care pathways.

"Members of the public are reminded to use 999 for life-threatening emergencies only, and to consider other services where appropriate."

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