Ambulance handover times have been branded “woeful” as new figures reveal that the Ulster Hospital has the worst record, amid claims patients are being left “vulnerable”.
The average handover time for hospitals across the north is 76 minutes, but figures show it takes the Ulster Hospital in Dundonald 147mins to hand an ambulance back to the local area.
The statistics, obtained following a Freedom of Information request, also show the maximum handover time at the Ulster Hospital is 16 hours.
It comes a day after The Irish News revealed it took paramedics an hour-and-a-half to arrive at the scene of the alleged assault of a young Co Down GAA player.
Police said Charlie Brown (21) suffered “serious head injuries after he fell to the ground following an altercation” in Rostrevor on March 31.
The Clonduff GAC player’s condition was later described as “critical but stable”.
It later emerged that after receiving a 999 call at 9.05pm, a crew did not arrive at the scene until 10.33pm.
- Charlie Brown: NI Ambulance Service ‘apologises unreservedly’ over delay arriving at scene where Co Down GAA player lay injuredOpens in new window
- More than 500 patients a month at Ulster Hospital wait longer than two hours for ambulance handoverOpens in new window
- 90-minute wait for ambulance patients to be handed over to crowded A&E departments, NIAS chief saysOpens in new window
The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) said it “apologises unreservedly” adding the wait time was “not acceptable”.
Sinn Féin’s Chris Hazzard says that ambulance handover times, particularly at the Ulster, are “leaving south Down patients vulnerable”.
His comments come following concerns raised by the Down Community Health Committee after the FOI request to the NIAS.
“These figures once again demonstrate that the Ulster Hospital is by far the worst hospital in the north of Ireland for turning around ambulances and allowing them back to the local area where they came,” said Mr Hazzard.
“The average handover time for hospitals across the north is 76 minutes (I hour 16mins), whereas on average it takes the Ulster Hospital 147mins (2 hours 27mins) to handover an ambulance back to the local area.
“This is completely unacceptable.
“Worryingly the maximum handover time at the Ulster Hospital is 16 hours; again this is much worse than any other hospital and a shocking illustration of the patient experience.
“The inability to release ambulances back to the south Down area has been a persistent feature of emergency care at the Ulster Hospital, and it appears that this issue is getting worse, not better.”
Mr Hazzard said the FOI response “confirmed that NIAS staff do not receive training specific to the needs of these patients that are left waiting for a prolonged time period in the back of an ambulance”.
“This is unacceptable for the patient, and unfair on the NIAS clinicians who find themselves repeatedly trapped in this predicament,” he said.
Mr Hazzard added the issues need addressed “urgently”.
“This is an intolerable situation - and one that must be addressed urgently - both for the patient left to wait for hours in the back of an ambulance in a hospital carpark; and for the person in need of an ambulance left waiting for hours for the crew to be released back into the local area”.
The South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust said long waiting times were being experienced across every trust.
“This is not the service we want to be provide. Unfortunately demand for care continues to outstrip current capacity,” a spokesperson said.
“Despite the significant pressures, there has been an improvement in ambulance turnaround times at the Ulster Hospital since mid-February, with a reduction in average turnaround times of 23%, despite having an 12.7% increase in ambulance arrivals.
“Patient safety remains our top priority.”
