NI Ambulance Service to carry out review after Jody Keenan, 39, dies while waiting for an ambulance

The woman, named locally as Jody Keenan, a teaching assistant at St Paul’s in Bessbrook, died in the early hours of Sunday after collapsing in Newry, Co Down.

It is understood that the ambulance service received a call at approximately 3.15am on Sunday to say that a woman had collapsed in the town.

There were only three emergency crews in the Southern division area available at the start of the night shift, instead of the planned resource of 10 crews.

This was reduced to two crews when one ambulance worker fell ill.

At the time the emergency call was received, both of the crews were at Craigavon hospital handing over patients.

A crew was instead sent from Belfast, 38 miles away.

The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service on Monday evening said that second ambulance was also sent from Banbridge, around 15 miles away.

Ms Keenan died despite attempts to resuscitate her.

Sinn Fein councillor Aoife Finnegan, a cousin of Ms Keenan, told PA news agency: “As a family we are devastated by what happened.”

The NIAS said it would like to “apologise sincerely and offer our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the patient who passed away in Newry”.

“We recognise how difficult a time this will be for the family and we will be seeking to engage with them directly in the coming days.”

An NIAS spokesperson confirmed that a serious incident review will be carried out.

The NIAS spokesperson said: “A 999 call was received at 03.15 on Sunday 10 April. Two ambulances were dispatched to this patient.

“The first was dispatched from Belfast and arrived on scene at 04:15.

“A second ambulance was dispatched from Banbridge, arriving on scene at 04:03.

“In addition, following our protocols for calls of this nature we contacted the PSNI who sent officers with a defibrillator who were first to arrive at 03:52.

“Despite the best efforts of everyone involved, attempts to resuscitate the patient were unsuccessful.

“NIAS exists to help people when they need and when our help falls short, we all feel it very personally and deeply.

“However we recognize that does not compare to the loss being felt by those closest to the patient.”