91Èȱ¬

The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service has apologised to a 73-year-old Londonderry woman who lay on the wet ground for two hours waiting for an ambulance.

Margaret Cusack fell in the Greenwalk area of Creggan on Friday evening and was kept warm by passers-by and family members until ambulance crews arrived.

The ambulance service apologised for any "distress or discomfort suffered".

"Some patients are currently waiting longer than we would wish," they added.

They said longer waiting times were because of the "demand for our service and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on our staffing levels".

They said the delay in this scenario was "as a result of crews in the area responding to calls which were more pressing in terms of clinical need".

Speaking to 91Èȱ¬ Radio Foyle, Mrs Cusack said: "I heard the crack in my shoulder, I tried to get myself up but I must've fell back on my back.

"All the neighbours came out to me with umbrellas and coats to try and keep me warm."

Mrs Cusack praised the exemplary work of the ambulance crew and hospital staff who cared for her, but believes there are real issues with the current healthcare system.

"I wouldn't blame the ambulance men -it wasn't their fault- it's the system and that hospital is really, really busy," she said.

"That casualty [emergency department] was packed and they [hospital staff] were off their feet."

Mrs Cusack is currently recovering at home and will need to go back to hospital for a follow up appointment.

The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service said they "would like to apologise to the patient who waited over two hours following a fall in the Greenwalk area of Creggan".

"A crew did not arrive at this scene until 19:58 which was 17 minutes outside of the target response."

The Western Trust said they did not comment on individual cases.