HSE defends ambulance response times after Cork teenager waits 75 minutes in 'extreme pain'

Criticism of the ambulance dispatch service arose yesterday after an injured 14-year-old had to wait ‘unacceptably’ long for an ambulance.

A teenage footballer was left waiting more than an hour for an ambulance in Cork at the weekend, despite being in 'extreme pain' after sustaining an injury on the field.

The HSE has insisted that the first available ambulance was immediately dispatched after sharp criticism from the boy's manager.