06/05/2015

999 Calls May Be Delayed Due To Strike Action

999 calls may be affected by the strike action being taken by Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) workers.

Unite the union started a 24 hour strike, which began at midnight, in a dispute over pay.

There may be some delays in response to emergency calls, the NIAS has warned.

In a statement the NIAS said: "The public may, immediately, notice a delay in their call being answered by our control staff and there will be delays in ambulance response as the trust anticipates a reduced level of cover for the 24-hour period."

The NIAS is urging the public to only call if it is a genuine emergency.

(CD)

Related Northern Ireland News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

15 September 2011
One In Five NI 999 Calls Not Emergencies
According to the latest records, one in five 999 calls in Northern Ireland last year did not actually require emergency assistance. Approximately 28,500 calls made last year did not require the expertise of a paramedic when they arrived at the scene.
15 November 2024
Man Extradited From US Over Historical Child Sex Abuse
A 68-year-old man has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for a series of indecent assaults on a child in the 1970s. Damien Desmond Anderson, originally from L'Derry, was extradited from the US to face justice. He was convicted of 12 counts of indecent assault against a female who was 11 years old at the time of the abuse.
29 July 2014
Review Ordered Into Staff Shortages
A review of operations is to be carried out by the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) following delays in response times to 999 calls. It is understood that almost a third of NIAS's ambulances were unavailable on Saturday past due to a staff shortage.
31 May 2022
PSNI Answering Majority Of 999 Calls In Under 10 Seconds
Calls to 999 in Northern Ireland are answered in under 10 seconds according to the UK government's Beating Crime Plan, 999 Performance Data, which has been published for the first time by the Home Office. The Police Service of Northern Ireland receives over 193,000 999 calls per year.
12 September 2022
BT's 999 Team Answer More Than 6m Emergency Calls In A Year
BT have revealed that they handled more than 6 million 999 calls in the last year, as it joins the emergency services in marking this years '999 Day'. BT call advisors are the "calm and collected voices" answering every emergency call.