AQW 20162/17-22 Written question to the Minister of Health
To ask the Minister of Health to detail the number of occasions, and the total cost to each Health and Social Care Trust, of employing private paramedic or ambulance services, for each of the last five years.
Asked by Claire Sugden MLA on 9 June 2021
- Answered
- Written
- After due date
- Tabled
- 9 June 2021
- Answer due by
- 24 June 2021
- Answered
- 1 July 202122 days after tabling
- Department
- Department of Health
- Priority question
- No
Answer
The total spend by each Health and Social Care Trust of employing private paramedic or ambulance services, in each of the last five is set out in the table below.
| 2020/21 £’000 | 2019/20 £’000 | 2018/19 £’000 | 2017/18 £’000 | 2016/17 £’000 | |
| BHSCT | 66 | 30 | 46 | 294 | 572 |
| NHSCT | 328 | 363 | 375 | 346 | 669 |
| SEHCT | 2,063 | 1,545 | 1,212 | 954 | 878 |
| SHSCT | 431 | 316 | 337 | 268 | 118 |
| WHSCT | 419 | 224 | 318 | 291 | 232 |
| NIAS | 10,146 | 5,244 | 3,267 | 2,638 | 1,084 |
| Total | 13,453 | 7,722 | 5,555 | 4,791 | 3,553 |
*Please note that the use of private ambulance has been interpreted to include the use of independent ambulance providers to support non-emergency transportation of patients within the emergency and non-emergency environments.
Unfortunately, details on the number of occasions can only be provided at disproportionate cost.
The decrease in expenditure by BHSCT since 2017/18 is explained by the fact that NIAS has taken on the co-ordination of sub-contracting their service.