Ambulance services challenged by Hiqa

Today’s report, confirmed by the ambulance service,  that  a man who collapsed at Killarney District Court on Tuesday  had to wait almost 40  minutes for an ambulance to arrive from Macroom to deliver emergency medical aid  just adds to concerns raised by this week’s review of ambulance services  published by the Health Information and Quality Authority

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The Hiqa report described a litany of inordinate delays where people in critical situations had to wait longer than is appropriate - or safe - for an ambulance in what could be a life-or-death situation.

Though acknowledging that some  progress has been made by the services in recent years Hiqa suggested that considerable improvements  might be made within the resources available. It focussed on poor performances, failure to meet targets and delays in responding to emergency calls.

Reflecting a common theme across all health services ambulance staff have expressed deep dissatisfaction for a number of years over what they perceive as a lack of resources.  Hiqa's can-do-better assessment challenges that view and puts the ambulance services' managers in a difficult position - after all it is their performances that Hiqa calls into question.