Funding boost could save vital air ambulance service

Olivia Cotter, from Doneraile, Co Cork, has first-hand experience of the Irish Community Air Ambulance service; her son was airlifted to Cork University Hospital after falling under a moving tractor in July 2020.  Picture: Brian Lougheed

The Irish Community Air Ambulance (ICAA), based at Rathcoole Aerodrome near Mallow, Co Cork, will receive a funding boost that could save the service under plans to be discussed by Cabinet on Wednesday.

Health Minister Stephen Donnelly will bring a memo to Cabinet which will propose giving between €1m and €2m to the service, which has until now relied on fundraising, the Irish Examiner can reveal.

Mr Donnelly will seek Cabinet approval on Wednesday for a scheme to provide aid to the Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) system under the European Commission’s Temporary Framework for State Aid. It is envisaged that aid will be given in the form of direct grants approved by the HSE.

HEMS is used to supplement the provision of ground emergency ambulance services in parts of Ireland where critically ill and injured patients are a considerable distance from high-level acute hospitals. 

The ICAA faced its busiest year in 2021, responding to 512 emergencies across 14 counties.

The charity has said that it aimed to fundraise more than €2m to keep it going this year. 

Severe financial difficulties

ICAA recently informed the Irish authorities that it was facing severe financial difficulties and might have to cease the service due to a collapse in fundraising during the Covid pandemic. 

The scheme will be established in line with the European Commission rules which allow “temporary limited amounts of aid to undertakings that find themselves facing a sudden shortage or even unavailability of liquidity".

The charity HEMS, ICAA, operates the Munster HEMS, based at Rathcoole Aerodrome, and commenced operations in July 2019. Until recently, the service has operated on a charitable basis following a service-level agreement signed with the HSE, whereby ICAA funds all aspects of the aircraft maintenance and running costs and the National Ambulance Service provides the clinical staff and all medical equipment and consumables.