Average ambulance turnaround times almost twice the national target

The longest turnaround times in the country were at University Hospital Kerry, which saw waits of one hour and 29 minutes in September. File Picture: Domnick Walsh

Ambulances across Ireland are being forced to wait for almost 60 minutes on average - almost twice the HSE target - at hospitals before unloading a patient getting back on the road.

Turnaround times involve the amount of time from the ambulance arrival time to when the crew declares the readiness of the ambulance to accept another call.

Information obtained under the Freedom of Information Act revealed that the average national ambulance service (NAS) turnaround times increased at the majority of hospitals in Ireland between January and September last year, with 94% of hospitals experiencing average turnaround times longer than the HSE target time of 30 minutes.

Nationally, the average turnaround time increased from 44 minutes in January last year to 55 minutes in September.

Stephen McMahon, co-founder of the patient rights and safety advocacy group the Irish Patients Association (IPA), said, “The average turnaround time now is almost double the NAS targets and what the ambulance fleet size is planned for.

“If the fleet is planned for a 30-minute average turnaround but is experiencing almost 60 minute turnaround times, that means its effectiveness has been halved."

Mr McMahon added that such lengthy turnaround times in hospitals “must be having an impact on patient welfare”.

“Waits of that length of time have to create a pressure on emergency response resources which in turn creates a danger for the public, in times of emergency for them,” he said.

“We know from our sources that the longest wait times for ambulances last year occurred in Kerry and Letterkenny, where some patients experienced waits of up to nine hours.

“The fact that ambulance crews are struggling to drop patients off at hospital emergency departments due to overcrowding at hospitals is surely having an impact on these long waiting times and patient safety.” 

The HSE data shows that University Hospital Kerry boasted the longest turnaround time in January 2021 at one hour and five minutes, and again in September 2021 at one hour and 29 minutes.

Cork University Hospital, Mercy University Hospital St Luke’s Hospital in Kilkenny, South Tipperary General and Wexford General also saw their average turnaround times surpass the hour mark in September 2021.

Just two hospitals - Temple Street and Tallaght - recorded average turnaround times lower than the HSE target of 30 minutes in September last year.

A spokesperson for The HSE said: “Emergency Departments always prioritise and treat the sickest patients first, by means of a standardised and well validated process known as triage.

“This means that patients requiring less urgent care may have to wait longer times to be seen and this includes patients who arrive by ambulance, not requiring emergency and urgent care.

“Emergency Department staff work collaboratively with colleagues in the National Ambulance Service to ensure all patients receive the emergency care they require by both ambulance and ED staff.

“Since the Pandemic began, NAS has experienced longer offload delays at Hospital Emergency Departments."

Infection prevention and control measures increase the length of time spent with patients, having a knock-on effect on other aspects of care.