Warning as wheel comes off ambulance

Ambulance staff have been instructed to check the nuts on the wheels on their vehicles before every shift after a wheel came off an ambulance.

The memo, dated the February 28, warns of potentially loose wheel nuts and advised on a new inspection system.

“As you are all aware, the National Ambulance Service has introduced yellow wheel nut markers on all its frontline emergency ambulances and intermediate care vehicles. These markers will assist staff with an early indication of potential loose wheel nuts,” it states.

Staff were told to carry out a daily vehicle inspection and told how the yellow markers should be aligned.

If they are off-line, it “indicates potential loose wheel nuts and should be reported immediately to station supervisor/operation resource manager. A check should be carried out to establish if wheel nuts are loose”.

It also says that the vehicle should “be placed out of service until examined by the appropriate vehicle maintenance service provider”.

The HSE confirmed the ambulance that lost the wheel is back in service.

Meanwhile, the HSE has refused to say how many of the 23 Subaru Forester SUVs it bought last year are used by senior managers in the National Ambulance Service and thus not used solely by paramedics answering emergency calls.

Some of them are used as ‘rapid response’ vehicles and are driven by advanced paramedics. The HSE did not say how many are used for such a purpose.

A spokeswoman said: “All vehicles purchased in 2013 and in previous years, which are used by managers/paramedics/advanced para-medics are in daily use and are available to respond to emergency calls as and when required.”

Paramedic sources said some vehicles including the Subaru Foresters have been brought home in the past and “are not here in the yard as a resource in case they are needed”.