Ulster University to deliver a foundation degree in Paramedic Science, with the first cohort of trainees graduating in December 2019 and the final 'fourth' cohort graduating in January 2023. Future cohorts are now managed directly by Ulster University with the BSc honours degree commencing in September 2021. In 2016, NIAS was commissioned to provide a helicopter emergency medical service (HEMS) for the first time in Northern Ireland, which was by then the only region of the UK not to have one. Following a public consultation, they partnered with the charity Air Ambulance Northern Ireland who provide the aircraft and airbase, with the doctors and paramedics provided by NIAS. The service undertook its first live mission in August 2017. Performance NIAS currently has a target time of eight minutes to reach the scene of an emergency although, during December 2017 only 47.5% of this target was met therefore the average response time in Northern Ireland was 16 minutes 10 seconds. Currently the trust works with volunteer and private ambulance services to help cope and meet key response times, this is a result of the current increased demand due to an aging population and the squeeze on public spending across Northern Ireland over the last decade. Staff have expressed concern by the growing pressures they face and overall low morale across the service. The ambulance service aims to restructure their service to cope with future increased demand. In September 2018, the ambulance service requested an additional £30million in funding from the Department of Health to restructure the service and to recruit an additional 300 staff members, most of whom would be Paramedics, EMTs and emergency call takers. This recruitment is meant to quicken response times and relieve pressure on staff. As of May 2022 this funding has not been delivered. In July 2022, NIAS average regional response time had risen to 39 minutes and 31 seconds. Paramedics have voiced their concern following reports that these lengthy response times have been a 'possible contributing factor' towards the death of 14 people. The current NIAS Chief Executive Michael Bloomfield has expressed his disappointment and partly blames the poor response times on the high number of staff shortages and lengthy waiting times to hand over patients at Emergency Departments. See also Emergency medical services in the United Kingdom National Health Service List of Government departments and agencies in Northern Ireland HSE National Ambulance Service –