SDLP Health Spokesperson Colin McGrath has said the death of a woman after an eight-hour wait in an ambulance demonstrates the extreme pressures on the health service.

The woman died in an ambulance outside the Ulster Hospital Emergency Department due to the pressures being experienced.

South Down MLA Mr McGrath said:

“My thoughts go out to the family and friends of the elderly woman who died following an eight-hour wait in an ambulance outside the Ulster Hospital. My thoughts are also with the paramedics and medical staff who did all they could to help this woman in the most difficult circumstances imaginable. Our staff go above and beyond every day and are being put through serious trauma due to the state our health service is currently in.

“This woman’s death after an eight-hour wait to be admitted to hospital shows just how bad things have become. We are no longer able to provide the bare minimum standards of care expected and it is having a serious impact on both patients and staff.

“This death in such tragic circumstances is another reminder of the need to put politics to one side and focus on ways that we can address the crisis in our health service and improve people’s lives on a daily basis. Nobody’s life should end in these circumstances, we must do everything in our power to ensure that this never happens again.”