75% of ambulance calls in Leitrim fail to meet response time targets, Council hears

75 percent of ambulance calls in the Leitrim area are not meeting response time targets, Leitrim County Council has heard.

Cllr Cormac Flynn brought a motion forward to November’s meeting of Leitrim County Council where he asked the Council write to the Minister for Health, the CEO of the HSE, the Director of the National Ambulance Service and the coordinator of RHAF to request an urgent review of the ambulance service based Carrick on Shannon. 

“Leitrim has eight ambulance groups, four based in Manorhamilton and four based in Carrick-on-Shannon. 

“That’s nothing compared to Sligo which is similar enough in size and has 15,” Cllr Flynn said.

Cllr Flynn explained that Carrick-on-Shannon typically has only one ambulance crew available at any given time. 

However, this ambulance is frequently sent to cover emergency calls in other areas, sometimes as far away as Tullamore.

“I think we’re being forgotten about here. To go from seven to eight crews at a time when the country is awash with money. 

"The Government are searching around for ways to spend the money, let's give them a proper reason to investment money in the region in terms of getting extra crews for the Carrick-on-Shannon area," he said.

In a similar motion that followed, Cllr Gary Prior called on the HSE to investigate the feasibility of establishing an ambulance base in Ballinamore Primary Care Centre.

“There’s the grounds there for it, we just need to see if the will is there,” Cllr Prior said.

Cllr Prior described a case previously reported by the Leitrim Observer, where a 73-year-old man endured a worrying two hour wait for an ambulance after becoming unwell at his home in Ballinamore.

Concerns after elderly Leitrim man endures two hour wait for ambulance

Cllr Gary Prior plans to urge the HSE to explore establishing an ambulance base at the Ballinamore Nursing Unit and Primary Care Centre.

Cllr Prior told the chamber that he is a member of a first responder group in Aughnasheelin and has witnessed significant delays in ambulance arrival times, for critical emergencies like chest pain cases.

“It’s ambulances we need. It’s a terrible situation,” he commented.

“We’re not even close to meeting our response time targets. 75 percent of calls in our area are missing our response time targets,” Cllr Flynn added.

Cllr Prior questioned whether it is a Council-level decision not to deploy fire services to certain emergencies, despite having trained personnel and the necessary equipment available.

Mr Vincent Dwyer, Head of Finance, Water, Environment, Climate Action and Emergency Services, told Cllr Prior that the local authority has no immediate input, and that it’s dealt with through the 999 response system.

Mr Dwyer remarked that it is a broader, national issue regarding how fire services should respond to emergencies, and highlighted the potential consequences of relying on fire services to cover other duties or areas, which could create pressure on resources.

Cathaoirleach Cllr Paddy O’Rourke suggested that councillors on the HSE forum should mention these issues at their next meeting.

“This needs to be taken up strenuously because otherwise it will be just ignored,” Cllr O’Rourke said.

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