A senior Sinn Féin delegation has met with the Head of the Ambulance Service in the North to offer support and to discuss challenges facing the service. 

West Belfast MP Paul Maskey said: 

“A senior Sinn Féin Deleation consisting of John Finucane MP, MLAs Gerry Kelly, Fra McCann, Pat Sheehan, Alex Maskey and myself as the MP for West Belfast met with the Head of the Ambulance service in the North, Michael Bloomfield. 

“This meeting follows a Sinn Féin delegation meeting with frontline paramedics in Belfast yesterday. 

“The most pressing concerning from Michael Bloomfield and paramedics on the ground is lack of personnel and resources which has resulted in immense strain being placed on the service.  

“The lack of resources, in addition to the COVID19 pandemic, has resulted in ambulance waiting times increasing significantly in Belfast. 

“Operational concerns were also raised by the ambulance service, particularly around the limited capacity of hospitals to take in patients. This regularly results in paramedics having to wait at hospitals until the patient is admitted. 

“Sinn Féin has taken on board the very real concerns of the ambulance service and paramedics.  

“In the coming weeks, I will organise a meeting with the Belfast Health Trust to raise these concerns and Pat Sheehan MLA has also committed to raising issues directly with the Health Minister.”