*Greater funding of the National Ambulance Service has been sought in Clare.
CO CLARE is ‘always suffering on the health front’ prompting councillors to seek the establishment of a Dáil committee to fully review emergency first response care for Clare residents.
Proposals were tabled by Cllr Ian Lynch (IND) and Cllr Tommy Guilfoyle (SF) relating to the National Ambulance Service (NAS) at the April meeting of Clare County Council.
Lynch led the call for a collaboration between the county’s Oireachtas members to set up a Dáil committee to review emergency response times in Clare. He wanted a focus of this “specifically addressing: the complete failure of National Ambulance Service (NAS) dynamic deployment, including a thorough investigation into recent County Clare failures, such as a reported three-hour roadside wait following a recent road traffic collision; a full investigation into the awarding of the new Coast Guard Search and Rescue (SAR) contract, including how it commenced without adequate training and upskilling, resulting in an 8 AM to 8 PM restricted operating period; and how a SAR contract was awarded to a helicopter lacking a forward-mounted searchlight”.
Enhanced emergency services are warranted in Clare, Cllr Guilfoyle said as he sought a formal request to go to the Minister for Health, Jennifer Carroll McNeill (FG) for increased funding of the NAS in Clare. “The recent explanation of insufficient ambulance coverage due to ‘unfunded shifts’ is inadequate. Recent incidents, such as a road traffic accident victim awaiting care for nearly four hours and a sixteen-year-old student left unattended for an hour following a seizure (necessitating ambulance transport from Galway and a helicopter from Cork), underscore the urgent need for service improvements”.
Speaking at the April meeting of the Council, Cllr Lynch outlined that for the past ten years in the Chamber and in the Dáil the matter has been raised. “We never get into the nuts and bolts, it has failed, they are looking at best practice in city areas, it takes an hour and a half to get to Limerick from some places in Clare, Doonbeg is one example where somebody was left on the roadside for three hours waiting for an ambulance”.
Paramedics deployed from Cork and Galway to West Clare who are not familiar with the N68 “can do damage” if travelling the road at speed, the Kilrush representative flagged. He said the SAR contract has been awarded without staff getting trained. He referenced the €336,000 bike shed in Leinster House, “Where is the Government, what are they like. Nobody is accountable for the bicycle shed, surely someone is accountable when there’s lives involved”.
Introduction of the ‘unfunded shifts’ to describe lack of ambulance coverage was slammed by Cllr Guilfoyle. “Unfunded shifts is an unacceptable, it is a new HR term, it just means nobody is on the shift, it is no way to run an ambulance service. We seem to always be suffering when it comes to the health front”. Cllr James Ryan (SF) who seconded the proposal commented, “the ambulance service is certainly lacking”.
Ennis Hospital’s future will become clearer following HIQA’s review, Cllr Tom O’Callaghan (FF) noted. “It has been clearly stated if you don’t get to an emergency department within an hour for stroke or heart attack then you could be in real trouble, if you’re waiting for an ambulance for three hours then you are in trouble. We’re third world when it comes to getting sick. A real worry is the funding of the service not the people operating it”. Mayor of Clare, Cllr Alan O’Callaghan (FF) agreed with the sentiments expressed.
“We seem to be treated very poorly when it comes to health. As a Council we sent correspondence to HSE, looking for update for dialysis unit, they have not replied, I don’t know why we are being treated like the poor cousin,” Cllr Guilfoyle added.
In parts of Clare, “you’d be very lucky to make the golden hour,” Cllr Lynch stressed. “I have spent twenty years training community members on what to do for a heart attack, after ten minutes they begin to lose brain activity,” he flagged. “The whole thing is a mess,” Lynch concluded.
