Ambulance Response Times 48%
The first quarter performance of Ambulance response times still shows serious concerns for Mid Ulster residents, with under 48% of category A emergency calls being responded to in the target 8 minutes. Save The Mid are asking what about the other 52 %, is it acceptable that these people are laying in emergency states for ambulances. This is further compounded by patients waiting for treatment inside Antrim Hospital, one family who Save the Mid spoke to, who cannot be named for legal reasons that could prejudice their complaint, spoke of how a stroke victim lay for nearly two days waiting to be admitted to the hospital.
For all categories A,B,C there was an average response time of inside the targeted 8 minutes of 41%, Save The Mid have already raised the issue of response times to the Northern Health Commissioner which sparked the commissioning group to research response times in Mid Ulster following the removal of acute services.
With the pending removal of inpatients form Mid Ulster hospital there will be a further increase of calls to the Ambulance service for categories B,C that will be needed to take less critical patients from Mid Ulster to the larger acute facilities. The ambulance service could not sustain itself following the removal of A&E in Mid Ulster and would seem most likely that it will not be able to sustain itself following the removal of inpatients either.
Save The Mid will be meeting with the Northern Trust, Patient & Client council and new elected representatives in the coming weeks to further the fight for much needed health services in Mid Ulster.