Ambulance service warning of delays due to staff shortages
Many paramedics isolating as hospitals reach capacity
Last updated 31st Dec 2020
The ambulance service is warning of lengthy waits for non urgent calls due to staff shortages.
Meanwhile, hospitals have reached full capacity in Northern Ireland.
Overall bed occupancy is 100%, with only six beds empty according to the latest figures.
Paramedic chiefs warned that Covid-19 staff sickness absences could delay answers to 999 calls.
Around 160 employees are off work for pandemic-related reasons.
Response times for less urgent cases were expected to be increased and emergency callers could wait longer on the line.
A Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) statement said: "Unfortunately, the NIAS Emergency Ambulance Control Room is currently experiencing absences due to Covid-19, and contingency planning to mitigate the potential risk to service disruption is ongoing.
"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.''