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Despite living with EDS, Mr Walker has spent his life caring for both his mum and his grandparents, all while volunteering within the community.

NIAS's performance when responding to 999 calls has deteriorated because of ambulances being increasingly tied up waiting outside EDs, which has raised concerns around performance in relation to emergencies and potentially serious incidents.

Ambulance handover performance deteriorated considerably between 2019 and 2024 at all nine local hospitals with major EDs.

"These pressures have resulted in prolonged turnaround times for ambulances at EDs, which impacts upon our ability to respond to emergency calls within the community," the service added.

It has been a challenging fortnight for EDs in Northern Ireland.