Average ambulance turnaround is 20mins

Back in February one ambulance took 1hour 49minutes dropping off at Altnagelvin.

It was the longest ambulance downtime at the hospital during Febuary with seven other locations across Northern Ireland experiencing lengthier turnarounds.

But in March the average turnaround time at the hospital was just 20 minutes.

The Minister stated that “ambulance downtime refers to the turnaround time measured from when an ambulance arrives at a hospital until it has ‘cleared’ the location or ‘stood down’” and that “this includes the time taken for patient handover to relevant clinical personnel and ensuring the vehicle is ready for the next call.”