AQW 37053/22-27


Mr Andrew McMurray
Alliance Party
South Down


Tabled Date: 08/12/2025
Answered On Date: 23/12/2025
Priority Written: Yes


Question:
To ask the Minister of Health to detail the number of incidents where other emergency services, such as the PSNI, Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service, Mourne Mountain Rescue Service, or the Coastguard, have responded to an emergency because an ambulance was unavailable, in each of the last five years, broken down by the responding emergency service.


Answer:
The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) does not collect data in a format that would allow my Department to quantify occasions where another emergency service responded because an ambulance was unavailable. To clarify, all incidents requiring clinical support from NIAS do receive an ambulance response, although system pressures can occasionally result in delays.
Other emergency services such as the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS), the Coastguard, and specialist voluntary organisations like Mourne Mountain Rescue, often attend incidents because the nature of the situation necessitates a multi-agency approach. Examples include road traffic collisions, rescues, hazardous environments, and water-related incidents.
In some circumstances, the PSNI has transported patients to hospital, particularly during mental health crises or when immediate safety concerns arise. This reflects broader system pressures and the need for collaborative responses, rather than a formal substitution for ambulance services.
NIFRS currently only records instances in which they mobilise to provide support to NIAS at an incident. NIFRS does not maintain records of mobilisations that occur when NIAS has declared they are unavailable to attend.
NIAS continues to work with health and social care partners to improve response times and resilience. This includes investment in additional staff, enhanced triage systems, and collaborative initiatives with other emergency services to ensure patient safety during periods of high demand.
I remain committed to strengthening emergency care provision and ensuring that patients receive timely and appropriate support. While multi-agency responses are sometimes necessary, my Department’s focus is on improving ambulance availability and reducing delays across the system.