To ask the Minister of Health whether any assessment has been made of ambulance handover times at Causeway Area Hospital, including the impact on ambulance availability across the Northern Health and Social Care Trust.

I recognise that ambulance handover delays have a direct impact on the capacity of the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) to respond to emergency calls. Preventing and reducing such delays is therefore a priority for my department and for Health and Social Care (HSC) services.

Ambulance handover times at Causeway Hospital, as with other acute hospital sites, are routinely monitored at Trust, regional and departmental level. This monitoring includes ongoing assessment of any impact on ambulance availability across the Northern HSC Trust area. Where handover delays are identified, these are escalated through established operational and performance management arrangements to enable prompt intervention. In 2025/26, the average ambulance handover time at Causeway Hospital was 1 hour 24 minutes, representing an improvement from 1 hour 39 minutes in 2024/25. While these improvements reflect the sustained efforts of NIAS and Northern HSC Trust staff, further work remains necessary to consistently reduce handover delays.

A regional approach has been taken to address ambulance handover delays and improve patient flow. These include the introduction of the ‘Release to Rescue’ initiative, which is specifically designed to reduce ambulance handover delays exceeding two hours. The two-hour maximum is an important step within a wider, phased approach to reducing handover delays overall, with the longer term aim of achieving the 15-minute standard. Under this approach, patients who are clinically appropriate are transferred from ambulances into a designated area within the Emergency Department (ED), allowing ambulance crews to be released back into service more quickly while ensuring patient safety and continued care.

In addition, the Northern HSC Trust has implemented a number of supporting measures, including strengthened escalation and surge arrangements during periods of high demand, enhanced senior clinical oversight in EDs, and initiatives to improve flow throughout the hospital, particularly at times of pressure. Work has also been ongoing to increase the use of same-day emergency care (SDEC), improve discharge processes, and ensure that community and intermediate care pathways are utilised effectively to reduce avoidable admissions and support timely discharges.

My department continues to work closely with the Northern HSC Trust and NIAS to ensure that ambulance handover delays at Causeway Hospital are kept under close review and that further improvement actions are taken where necessary. Reducing ambulance handover delays remains a key priority as part of wider efforts to stabilise emergency care services and protect the ability of NIAS to respond to those who need urgent and emergency care across Northern Ireland.