18th June 2026

New Northern Ireland Ambulance Service research launched yesterday, funded and commissioned by Marie Curie.

The first study, conducted by NIAS and Queen’s University Belfast, found that people in their final year of life account for more than one in ten hospital admissions and almost one fifth of ambulance service workload in NI. It is the first population-wide analysis of hospital, emergency department and ambulance service use by people in their final year of life in Northern Ireland.

In a second study, carried out by NIAS and Ulster University, over half of NIAS paramedics surveyed stated that they “rarely” or “never” knew in advance that they were attending a patient nearing the end of life.

Julia Wolfe, Research and Development Manager at the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, said: “Ambulance clinicians are often the first healthcare professionals responding when patients and families experience a crisis. This research helps us better understand that demand and how services can work together to support patients more effectively.”

Learn more: https://www.mariecurie.org.uk/research-and-policy/research/unscheduled-care-in-last-year-of-life