Ambulance provision a 'priority'

The ambulance broke down on the Culmore Road in Derry

Ambulance provision in the North West will be a "priority", the new chair of health watchdog, the Western Health and Social Services Council, has said.

An investigation is underway after an ambulance broke down while on a 999 call in Londonderry on Monday.

Frances Robson said she was concerned there were not enough ambulances in the area to cover such a situation.

"There must be reliable backup, and that is an ongoing problem because of funding and resources," she said.

"It must be the average ambulance man's nightmare that a vehicle would break down," she said.

The ambulance was taking a patient to hospital when it broke down on the Culmore Road in Derry.

The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service said another ambulance arrived in seven minutes.

NIAS said the care of the patient - whose illness was not life-threatening - was not compromised.

John Kay from the health service trade union Unison said many ambulances were 10 years old, and should be replaced.

"I personally was involved in an emergency journey to Belfast where the accelerator pedal came away from one of the vehicles," he said.

"It turned out it was purely rust, but the pedal snapped off and we had to continue the journey just driving on the accelerator shaft.

"We have these situations all the time," he said.

During the delay the patient was looked after by the ambulance crew and a rapid response vehicle paramedic.