‘Russian roulette’ plan to cut ambulance cover

HEALTH chiefs have been accused of “playing Russian Roulette with people’s lives” in Cork and Kerry.

HSE moves to cut night- time cover at almost half of its ambulance bases in the south west region are to be thrashed out at the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) after unions vehemently objected to the proposals.

Last June, the HSE put forward several proposals aimed at rotating closures of ambulance stations in order to cut on-call payments to ambulance crews.

SIPTU believes the HSE is softening its approach in the face of LRC meetings and that a brokered agreement will significantly dilute the initial proposals.

Under the proposals, only two of the three ambulance stations serving Youghal, Midleton and Fermoy would remain open any weekday night. Each one, it emerged, would have to close on a rotating basis.

The HSE has sought similar rotating closures in West Cork, with only two of the four stations at Clonakilty, Skibbereen, Bantry and Castletownbere operating at night.

It also proposed that only two of the stations serving Mallow, Kanturk, Millstreet and Macroom areas would remain operational, while Caherciveen and Kenmare would rotate cover on the two Kerry peninsulas. Listowel and Dingle ambulance stations would alternate to cover each other’s areas.

SIPTU assistant branch organiser Ted Kenny said there was no way the union could accept such proposals.

“We have a hearing with the LRC in December and in the meantime a series of local meetings are planned between the union and management,” Mr Kenny said.

“As far as we are concerned no ambulance base will be closed at night and we are sticking to that,” he added.

There was major public outcry when the HSE made the proposals as part of cost-cutting measures.

The HSE said it put forward the proposals after SIPTU demanded it eliminate an “on-call service” which SIPTU claimed saw members working 16 or 17 hours at a time.

SIPTU claimed this has health and safety implications for both crews and patients.

The HSE maintained the initial proposals were put forward in order to prevent ambulance crews carrying out a threat to withdraw their on-call services.

The union insisted that instead of cutting services, the HSE should increase the number of ambulance personnel.

SIPTU ambulance crews voted to reject the proposals to close stations on a rotating basis, which would result in some areas having to seek help from bases much further away.

“We hope to have a solution to this in December. We will fight this so as to maintain a proper service for the people of Cork and Kerry,” Mr Kenny said.