A SPOKESPERSON for the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) has spoken of the "longstanding" challenges faced by the service as crews from the Republic of Ireland have been deployed in Fermanagh.

He said: “These challenges, while longstanding, have been exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, resulting in a significant number of staff being unavailable for work at any time as they are required to self-isolate as a result of themselves, or a member of their household, testing positive or displaying symptoms of Covid-19."

The spokesperson confirmed the use of voluntary and private ambulance crews to cope with demand.

He continued: “These crews, similar to our own non-emergency staff, are targeted at the less serious calls.

"In being available to transport patients, not requiring clinical interventions, to hospital and assisting with hospital transfers and discharges, this additional support enables NIAS Emergency Control to protect the availability of emergency crews to respond to the most clinically urgent calls.

"This support role of our non-emergency staff, complemented by voluntary and private ambulance services, has proved invaluable in the past and is something for which we are very grateful.”

Further detail was given on the weekend in December when the Republic of Ireland’s National Ambulance Service (NAS) helped their peers in the North.

The NIAS has in place a Memorandum of Understanding with the NAS, that enables both services to support each other, on an ongoing basis, and at times of extreme activity or at major incidents.

NIAS also has in place a number of mutual aid agreements across the UK and Ireland.

These are in place for services to call on assistance from neighbouring services when pressures are at their most intense, and when neighbouring services, are in a position to assist in terms of providing resources.

Between December 18 and 21, the NAS made available 9.5 ambulance crews to support NIAS in operational responses across its Southern, Belfast and Western Divisions.

Expressing gratitude for peers in the NAS, the NIAS spokesperson said: “This additional capacity is very welcome, and NIAS are extremely grateful to our colleagues in NAS and their staff for agreeing to, for the second time over the past 12 months, lending their support at a challenging time.”

The spokesperson issued a reminder on NIAS services. “As always, NIAS will prioritise calls based on clinical need to ensure that those whose need is most urgent receive the fastest response.

“We would ask everyone to play their part over the next period by keeping themselves safe and following health advice relating to limiting the spread of the Coronavirus. To get through, this we must all work together.

“We would also ask the public to consider other options before dialling 999, to ensure that ambulances are kept to respond to life-threatening emergencies.”