HSE refuses to provide details of ambulance in fatal fall case

The HSE is refusing to reveal the location from which an ambulance should have been dispatched to pick up a fatally injured boy.

In response to questions submitted by the Irish Examiner, the HSE insisted such information would only be released to a four-person team appointed to review the death of toddler Vakaris Martinaitis.

The two-year-old died from injuries sustained after falling from a bedroom window at his Midleton, Co Cork, home on May 6.

Neighbour and former Cork hurling star Kevin Hennessy drove the injured child to hospital after being told no ambulance was available.

Vakaris died in Cork University Hospital two days later.

The HSE claimed an ambulance was available and commissioned a formal incident review into the manner in which the 999 call, received at 2pm, was managed.

A HSE spokesman said the formal review, to be concluded as expeditiously as possible, would fully establish all the facts surrounding the management of the emergency call, including why an emergency ambulance was not assigned to the call, as well as the level of information available to ambulance control about Vakaris’s injuries.

“The terms of reference are expected to be finalised with the review team this week and an National Ambulance Services representative will liaise with [Vakaris’s] family on behalf of the review team to keep them informed of progress and ensure the family are provided with ongoing support,” the spokesman added.

The HSE has announced the review team members will be Dave McManus, medical director of the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service; Tracey Barron of the International Academy of Emergency Dispatch UK; Pat Mooney, control manager of the National Ambulance Service North Leinster; and Mel Bates, medical director of GP Out of Hours, North Dublin.

The four TDs from the Cork East constituency yesterday welcomed comments from Taoiseach Enda Kenny that the review findings will be made public.

Fine Gael’s David Stanton said: “I live in Midleton and I want to know what happened and the public also has the right to know.”

Sinn Féin’s Sandra McLellan, based in Youghal, said there had also been problems with the ambulance service to her home town.