There could be delays in answering 999 calls over the new year period.
That’s according to the NI Ambulance Service.
It says the Emergency Ambulance Control Room is experiencing absences due to COVID-19 and contingency planning to ‘mitigate the potential risk to service disruption’ is ongoing.
“This has put our service under even more pressure and we anticipate that callers to 999 may, at times, experience a delay in having their calls answered.
“With that in mind, we would strongly advise anyone who calls 999 to stay on the line – to disconnect and re-dial will result in a response to your call being further delayed.
“We are monitoring the situation closely and taking appropriate actions to ensure we maintain service delivery as best as possible throughout the New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day period and the upcoming weekend.”
The NI Ambulance Service is urging people to only phone for an ambulance in an emergency.
“If you have need of our service, do not hesitate to dial 999 and, please, remain on the line until your call is answered by our staff in the Control Room.
“We would offer, in advance, our apologies for any delay you may experience.
“You can be assured that everyone in NIAS, particularly our control staff and frontline crews, are working extremely hard to deliver the best service to meet your specific clinical needs.”