Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland Ambulance Service warns of potential delay in answering calls amid ongoing pandemic

The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) last night warned of a potential delay in answering calls amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic
The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) last night warned of a potential delay in answering calls amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) last night warned of a potential delay in answering calls amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic

AMBULANCE chiefs have warned of a potential delay in answering calls over the new year amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) last night said it was "currently experiencing absences due to Covid-19, and contingency planning to mitigate the potential risk to service disruption is ongoing".

The health trust added: "This has put our service under even more pressure and we anticipate that callers to 999 may, at times, experience a delay in having their calls answered."

Last night's warning came after NIAS previously advised of delayed response times to less urgent calls due to challenges presented by staff shortages relating to, among other factors, Covid-19 related absences.

As a result, a spokesman for the NIAS last night "strongly" advised anyone who calls 999 to "stay on the line – to disconnect and re-dial will result in a response to your call being further delayed.

"Due to the pressures we are currently experiencing, NIAS would ask that members of the public use our services wisely and only call 999 for ambulance assistance in an emergency situation," he said.

"This will ensure our resources are available for those who need us most".

He added: "We do not want to deter people from calling 999 in a genuine emergency, but will ask that people are mindful during this time that there could be someone with a greater need.

"We are monitoring the situation closely and taking appropriate actions to ensure we maintain service delivery as best as possible throughout the New Year’s Eve/New Year Day period and the upcoming weekend".