Oireachtas intervention on ambulances urged

The Oireachtas committee on health is “to be thoroughly briefed” by councillors battling cutbacks to West Cork’s ambulances before it questions HSE officials on why they have reduced the service.

Standing orders were suspended at the council’s western committee meeting in Clonakilty yesterday in order to discuss the downgrading of the service and the crash in Castletownbere last week when an ambulance driver fell asleep behind the wheel because he had been working 22 hours non-stop trying to make up for a lack of proper cover.

The HSE is carrying out an internal investigation into the accident, but has refused to comment further.

There was unanimous cross-party concern among councillors after the issue was raised by Cllr Danny Crowley (FF), who said the onus was on public representatives to lobby on behalf of the public in West Cork.

“It seems now you can only get sick by appointment,” said Mr Crowley, adding that people were preparing a bed push between Skibbereen and Cork University Hospital to highlight the downgrading of the service.

Cllr Dermot Sheehan (FG) said HSE officials making the decisions to reduce ambulance cover obviously did not know the geography of the region, its minor roads, and the big distances between its three peninsulas and CUH.

His party colleague, Cllr Jerry Sullivan, said the HSE needs to review its cuts as a matter of priority. “Thankfully, nobody was injured in the ambulance accident, but it could have been a lot worse. We must look at rotas and the number of ambulances available for the safety of people.”

Cllr Noel O’Donovan (FG) said: “We do live in a time of cutbacks, but not when you’re dealing with human life.”

Cllr Donal O’Rourke (FF) and Cllr Sheehan said it was vitally important that Oireachtas health committee members were fully briefed on the situation before they questioned senior HSE officials.

“My big fear is that lives will be lost before there’s a realisation these cutbacks will not work in West Cork,” said Cllr Declan Hurley (Ind). “We need to be consulted more by the HSE. It’s a very grave issue which needs to be addressed.”

Mr Sheehan said that, if necessary, councillors would go in person to Dublin to brief the Oireachtas committee. “We have to be well-prepared to go into battle,” he said.

Western committee chairman Cllr John O’Sullivan (FG) said he believed the present HSE ambulance cover was not in line with Hiqa standards.

He agreed that councillors would also seek a meeting with HSE officials and write to Health Minister James Reilly expressing their concern over the cutbacks.