Firefighters and police to aid Ambulance staff

In a statement the NI Ambulance Service said it is experiencing ‘significant challenges’ delivering its service.

Those challenges include the requirement of staff to self-isolate for Covid related issues pertaining to themselves or close contacts.

It has meant reduced numbers of staff available for front line ambulance work and in ambulance control.

“To mitigate against these factors, NIAS has made use of our own non-emergency staff to support A&E colleagues. Service provision is further complemented by extensive use of Voluntary and Private Ambulance Services (VAS and PAS) who are despatched to lower acuity calls which, after Paramedic assessment, have been triaged as appropriate for non-clinical intervention,” said an NIAS spokesperson. “These would tend to be GP Urgent calls requiring admission to hospital and inter-hospital transfers. In so doing they help us protect our emergency response for the most urgent calls.

“The contribution of our non-emergency staff and the VAS and PAS has been invaluable, particularly over recent days, and we are extremely grateful for their contribution. However, even with these additional resources, challenges remain and we are extremely grateful to our colleagues in the other emergency services who have made available a number of staff to assist us at this difficult time.

“This will build upon the arrangements we put in place during the first phase of the pandemic and, following vehicle familiarisation and equipment training, they will be available to support our crews by driving emergency ambulances alongside a Paramedic or Emergency Medical Technician.

“Any request for this external support is only made after all other internal escalation measures have been deployed and only after the completion of preparatory arrangements. These actions will ensure that the clinical expertise of our own front line staff is optimised in the most effective manner.

“NIAS will prioritise those calls which are most clinically urgent to ensure that we get to the sickest quickest. Other callers with less serious conditions will have to wait longer.”

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