AN ELDERLY KILRUSH WOMAN was left waiting eight hours for an ambulance to arrive.

While lying on the floor in her West Clare home, the woman was left waiting for eight hours to be transported to hospital. During the inordinate amount of time, she was tended to by a member of the fire brigade and off-duty medical staff in the vicinity.

Details were recounted by Cllr Cillian Murphy (FF) at a meeting of the Regional Health Forum West. “Eight hours is not good enough for someone who needs to get into the hospital,” he told health officials.

He referenced the incident while seeking an update on the rollout of the community paramedic programme across Co Clare and expressed the view the case referenced was ideally suited to such a programme.

Chief Ambulance Officer, JJ McGowan outlined, “The community paramedic programme for the Mid-West currently operates from Co Limerick. Although based in Co Limerick, the community paramedic responds to low acuity calls in Co Clare when the time response is not critical. The National Ambulance Service is currently engaged with our regulator the Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council (PHECC) in regards to inclusion of community paramedics on the licencing register for pre-hospital emergency care in Ireland. When this is finalised it is envisaged that the expansion of the community paramedic programme will commence nationally”.

He said the response time of eight hours to the Kilrush incident “falls short of our standards”.

Cllr Murphy shared his concern that “Limerick is a long way away from a lot of parts of the county” if the sole base was operating from there. “If we’re looking at it on an equity basis, look at the spread, is the base in Limerick compared to some of the places in West Clare a similar spread to other places where this is operational,” the Kilkee representative stated.

“Extensive talks” have occurred and hope to be concluded and finalised in the early part of 2023 allowing an enhancement of the programme, McGowan replied.

Related News

electric vehicle charge
Quotations received for long-awaited EV charging points in East Clare
Ciara Jones, Newmarket on Fergus-6467
'A bolt from the blue' - Ciara diagnosed with cancer on same day she discovered pregnancy
bishop fintan monahan fr iggy mccormack michael d higgins ennis tt 28-05-22 91
'Holy Row' over €25m community hospital for St Flannan's College intensifies
leo varadkar uhl 8
Taoiseach's intervention sought into potential impasse on East Clare Greenway
Latest News
clare v galway 12-03-23 brian lohan 1
'Massive' period ahead says Lohan as Clare switch focus from league to championship
sliabh aughty drama 1
Clare Drama Festival kicks off in Scariff
bishop fintan monahan fr iggy mccormack michael d higgins ennis tt 28-05-22 91
'Holy Row' over €25m community hospital for St Flannan's College intensifies
football soccer ball
Scariff Community College come up short in Munster Final
leo varadkar uhl 8
Taoiseach's intervention sought into potential impasse on East Clare Greenway
Premium
leo varadkar uhl 8
Taoiseach's intervention sought into potential impasse on East Clare Greenway
lisdoonvarna aerial
North Clare becoming a hotspot of sustainable energy communities
clare v galway 12-03-23 eamonn foudy 1
Foudy injury not as bad as first feared
Dean Ryan scores a point minutes before half time
Dean Ryan's return a further boost for Éire Óg
tipperary v clare minor hurling 11-05-22 40 eoghan gunning
Clare minors off to a flyer as they trip up Tipp

Subscribe for just €3 per month

If you’re here, you care about County Clare. So do we. Did you rely on us for Covid-19 updates, follow our election coverage, or visit The Clare Echo every week for breaking news and sport? The Clare Echo invests in local journalism and we want to safeguard its future in our county. By becoming a subscriber you are supporting what we do, will receive access to all our premium articles and a better experience, while helping us improve our offering to you. Subscribe to clareecho.ie and get the first six months for just €3 a month (less than 75c per week), and thereafter €8 per month. Cancel anytime, limited time offer. T&Cs Apply. www.clareecho.ie.

Subscribe for just €3 per month

If you’re here, you care about County Clare. So do we. Did you rely on us for Covid-19 updates, follow our election coverage, or visit The Clare Echo every week for breaking news and sport? The Clare Echo invests in local journalism and we want to safeguard its future in our county. By becoming a subscriber you are supporting what we do, will receive access to all our premium articles and a better experience, while helping us improve our offering to you. Subscribe to clareecho.ie and get the first six months for just €3 a month (less than 75c per week), and thereafter €8 per month. Cancel anytime, limited time offer. T&Cs Apply. www.clareecho.ie.

Scroll to Top
Enable Notifications for the latest news and updates OK No thanks