It comes following the publication of a review of ambulance handovers from the Northern Ireland Audit Office (NIAO) detailing the rate at which our ambulance service has been allowed to deteriorate. The review showed that, during the last 5 years, handover delays have cost NIAS £50 million in lost capacity and could have resulted in severe harm to more than 3,800 patients.

The East Antrim MLA, who is also Deputy Chair of the Health Committee, has said: “These are simply shocking statistics, and represent a dire crisis far too many people in Northern Ireland are all too aware of.

“Whilst funding pressures are undoubtedly an issue, the Audit Office has also revealed a concerning pattern of DoH commissioning reviews and publishing strategies to improve ambulance services, and then failing to see any major progress afterwards. For example, the No More Silos Action Plan hasn’t improved handover times despite being published more than 4 years ago.

“This is not to place criticism or blame on the incredibly dedicated and hard-working staff of the Ambulance Service, who are working from a burning platform and are among the victims of the pressures and inefficiencies within the service.

“Behind each of these statistics are people facing agonising waits in the back of ambulances, with thousands coming to further harm waiting for the healthcare they deserve. Nobody should be put in that position.

“Alliance is committed to seeing our Ambulance Service put on stable footing, which is why we brought this issue to the floor of the Assembly at the start of the year and will continue fighting to secure better outcomes for our patients and ambulance staff. That starts with boosting ambulance capacity and truly delivering on the HSC reform agenda so that patients can get in and out of hospital efficiently.”