‘Guns to gurneys’ redeployment plan required

Last week, I had the dubious honour of engaging with a Cork-based ambulance crew.

It was dubious, because the words ambulance and happy endings are not normally together. It was an honour, however, to meet such a professional, kind and efficient team as they managed an accident incurred by a relative.

We ended up in Cork University Hospital’s emergency & department, which was like a cross between Fallujah at the height of the Iraq war and an uncensored version of ER. A frenetic but highly organised cocktail of emergency admissions was handled with the efficiency of a high end Swiss clock. After 10 hours there, I got a proper understanding of just how good the men and women working at the front end of the health services actually are.