HSE: No plan to remove 8pm-8am ambulance in West Cork

The HSE moved last night to ease fears in West Cork about proposed sweeping changes to the ambulance service.

It insisted that there are no proposals to remove the ambulance service between 8pm and 8am in the region, and it stressed that no changes will be implemented without further public consultation.

It was responding to claims from campaigners planning a major four-day rally in Cork next week to highlight their concerns about the controversial ambulance reconfiguration plan.

The West Cork SOS group is concerned that the region will lose two ambulances from 8pm to 8am.

But in a detailed statement yesterday, the HSE tried to reassure people. “The HSE would also like to re-iterate that there is no proposal to ‘remove’ the ambulance service from West Cork between 8pm and 8am.

“What is being considered is a model of service where ambulance staff will move from on-call to on-duty service between 8pm and 8am and use a mix of ambulances and rapid response cars.

“The modern ambulance service is designed to treat and to perform life-saving interventions at the scene of the emergency. Transporting patients to hospital is only one step in the process and is preceded by other interventions by skilled paramedics and other health professionals.”

The HSE and the National Ambulance Service is working on a plan to eliminate the on-call system which sees ambulance crews available for work from their own homes — they are not working unless called in — mostly for 999 emergency calls.

Under this system, the average activation time from home to the ambulance station can be up to 21 minutes.

The new ‘on-duty’ system will see paramedics and advanced paramedics moving to a rostered system which will have crews on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

Some ambulances will be replaced with rapid response vehicles — improving activation times, the HSE said.

“The ‘on duty’ resource will include a mix of emergency ambulances and rapid response vehicles which will be dynamically deployed — strategically located where most likely to be required, rather than statically deployed at a particular station.”

The HSE and the NAS met with Skibbereen Town councillors and local GPs in Aug 2011, the West Cork SOS group last December and again last April, to discuss the proposals.

“There will be a further extensive consultation process with a view to providing as much clarity as possible on the changes to come and allay any public concerns that may exist,” the HSE stated.

The ambulance reconfiguration in Cork began in May when the on-call system ended in Fermoy, Midleton and Youghal.

Its introduction is currently being evaluated — a process which should be completed by the end of next month.

It is expected that the findings of that review will be published.

* The West Cork SOS will begin its protest rally in Skibbereen next Wednesday, culminating in a stretcher push from the Bandon Rd to Cork University Hospital on Saturday.