Charity-funded air ambulance in talks over State funding

Micheál Sheridan, CEO of the Irish Community Rapid Response. Picture: Darragh Kane

Ireland’s only charity-funded air ambulance is engaging with government on securing state funding.

The Irish Community Rapid Response (ICRR), which runs the life-saving service from its aerodrome in north Cork, is also talking to regional politicians about how it can access state funding streams in the same way that similar air ambulances services in the UK and Northern Ireland do.

The ICRR’s fundraising streams have been decimated during the pandemic but the helicopter and its paramedic crew have continued to respond to taskings from the National Ambulance Service (NAS).

The air ambulance, which was launched in September 2019, was tasked to 490 incidents across 13 counties in 2020. Between January 1 and March 31 this year, it responded to 125 taskings. Each mission costs the charity an average of €3,500.

On Good Friday alone, the air ambulance was tasked three times - to transfer a heart attack patient from north Kerry to University Hospital Limerick, to transport a person injured in a road traffic accident in Newmarket to Cork University Hospital (CUH), and to airlift another person who was injured while walking in north Cork, again to CUH.

In the last week, representatives from ICRR met virtually with Health Minister, Stephen Donnelly, local Fianna Fáil TD, Michael Moynihan, and with representatives of NAS, to discuss funding. More meetings with regional leaders are planned.

ICRR chief executive, Mícheál Sheridan, described the talks as “very productive”.

“We explained to the minister the vital role that our community air ambulance is playing in saving lives and the impact that is having on families in communities across Munster,” he said.

“We are hugely grateful to our army of volunteer fundraisers, but we are conscious of the growing need for the air ambulance.

Equivalent services in the UK and Northern Ireland both recently received Government funding and we are hopeful for the same here in Ireland."

The ICRR service has brought the population in a 25,000sq km region within 30 minutes of emergency medical care.

The crew, NAS advanced paramedics and EMTs, bring casualties to the hospital that best suits their needs, not just the closest geographically.

The Irish Community Rapid Response Air Ambulance was tasked to 490 incidents across 13 counties during 2020, which was its first full year in operation. Picture: Darragh Kane

The charity has two helicopters based at its aerodrome in Rathcoole - only one of which is operational at any one time, the other acting as a backup.

But a new faster helicopter with increased range capacity is due to be delivered later in the year.

Mr Sheridan said: “We already possess an additional helicopter asset, and we know that there will always be a demand for the service across the country.

“A priority for us in 2021 is to work with other partners to ensure everyone on the island of Ireland is within 30 minutes of an air ambulance service either provided by ICRR or the Irish Air Corps.”