Campaigners welcome breakthrough in ambulance saga

Campaigners have welcomed the breakthrough in the West Cork ambulance service reconfiguration saga which will see the region retain its four ambulances.

The HSE and the National Ambulance Service (NAS) confirmed yesterday that a new model has been agreed and will be introduced next month.

The agreement follows a sustained community campaign which opposed the initial proposal to replace one of the ambulances with a rapid response vehicle which cannot transport patients.

“It is everything we asked for. And it’s the right thing to do,” said West Cork SOS chairman Frank Fahy.

“It has been a long and time-consuming battle since Jun 2011 to bring this campaign to a successful conclusion.”

Senior HSE and NAS managers briefed local GPs, public representatives and community groups on the agreement yesterday.

A HSE spokesman said they always wanted to find a model that would best suit the area’s specific geographical requirements.

“The agreed model is extremely detailed, providing numerous benefits which go far beyond the deployment of four emergency ambulances,” he said. The entire agreement includes:

*The elimination of the current “on-call” work practice to an “on-duty” system which will bring NAS operations in West Cork in line with most of the rest of the country;

*The dynamic deployment of a fleet of emergency vehicles and paramedics;

*The routine transfer of patients between West Cork and city hospitals in “intermediate care vehicles” thereby freeing up emergency ambulances for emergency calls.

NAS director Robert Morton said the new model has the potential to provide a world class pre-hospital emergency care service to the people of the area.

“People in West Cork will now have access to an ‘on-duty’ service 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with the appropriate personnel and fleet to best match this model of service,” he said.