Almost Half Of Ambulances Fail To Reach 999 Calls On Time - Figures

The UUP has hit out and said people's lives are being put at risk after it was revealed ambulances are failing to reach nearly half of 999 emergency calls on time.

In 2016/17 there was a further drop in the number of ambulances arriving within the target time of eight minutes, according to the latest figures of emergency treatment times.

UUP Health spokesperson Roy Beggs described the waiting times as "disgraceful" and said nothing is being done to resolve them.

He said: "The target for Category A ambulance calls - which are considered to be the most urgent and life threatening - is that 72.5% should attended within 8 minutes. It is frightening that the Department of Health has now confirmed that last year only 51% arrived on time. The figure has consistently deteriorated over each of the last five years, down from over 68% in 2012/13.

"It is medically proven that patients who are seen quickly have better outcomes than those who have to wait. These delays are inevitably having major implications for the patients who unfortunately are affected by them.

“People in real emergencies such as road traffic collisions and those experiencing cardiac difficulties are having to wait for longer for emergency assistance to arrive. That is simply not acceptable and falls far below the safe and sustainable standard that people should expect.

"The latest publication of emergency department waiting times also confirms that during 2016/17, only 69.8% of patients attending Northern Ireland's main EDs were treated and discharged, or admitted, within 4 hours of their arrival, despite the target being 95%. It's a further indication of the scale of the unprecedented crisis our entire health service now finds itself in."

(CD/LM)