THE Ulster Hospital has the worst ambulance handover times in Northern Ireland according to new statistics.
The average handover time from the Ambulance Service to the hospital’s A&E department is 147 minutes compared to the overall handover time in Northern Ireland of 76 minutes.
The statistics, obtained following a Freedom of Information request from the Downpatrick-based Down Community Health Committee, also show the maximum handover time at the Ulster Hospital is 16 hours.
South Down MP, Chris Hazzard, said the figures demonstrate that the Ulster Hospital is by far the worst hospital for turning around ambulances and allowing them back to the local area where they came.
“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,” said Mr Hazzard.
“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 car park; 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 providing. Unfortunately demand for care continues to outstrip current capacity,” a spokeswoman 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.”
