Eamon Scanlon (Sligo-Leitrim, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I call on the Department of Health to commit to providing additional ambulance fleets and personnel in the north west in order to reduce response times in the region. Unfortunately, lengthy ambulance response times are not unusual there. They are, however, unacceptable. People in rural areas are treated deplorably when it comes to access to out-of-hours health services. It is now evident that if more than one emergency arises at a time in the Sligo, Leitrim and Roscommon area, our communities must wait up to two, three or four hours for emergency services. The lives of people in the north west are as important as those of people in cities or elsewhere in the country.

I accept that there are challenges in providing services in rural Ireland and that we cannot expect to achieve the same turnaround times as are experienced in urban areas. However, the response times in rural areas could be and need to be vastly improved. The waiting times for ambulances are too lengthy. The current situation in County Leitrim in that regard is totally unsatisfactory.

More and more ambulances are being called away to cover larger centres. The dispatching of ambulances from one county to cover another due to the lack of paramedics on duty at any one time, as often occurs with the ambulances assigned to Leitrim and north Roscommon, is totally wrong and leaves people highly exposed. Our ambulance service often deals with life or death situations but it does not have the capacity to deal with the call-outs it is receiving. Fatalities may be inevitable.

We need a new ambulance unit in Carrick-on-Shannon and extra personnel to manage the fleet there. People in rural Ireland are losing confidence in the ambulance service, which is a pity because, as all Members know, its staff are dedicated, committed and very helpful. I am sure that the families of several Members have called 999 seeking an ambulance - I know mine has. It is sad that the staff are losing confidence, but it would be very sad if the people who need the service also lose confidence.

The ambulance stationed in Carrick-on-Shannon serves south Leitrim and north Roscommon but at times may be as far away as Monaghan, Mayo, Tullamore or even Mullingar, leaving no ambulance cover in its primary area. It is very alarming that there are only ever two ambulances on call for the entire County Leitrim. Those ambulances may not be available if an emergency call comes in as they may be covering for other ambulances in urban centres or responding to other emergency calls. What is more alarming is the lack of action on the part of the Government, which seems unconcerned about this issue or the fact that elderly people may have to wait from two hours to five hours for an ambulance. People have contacted me with concerns and I have passed on those details to the HSE.

I am advised that there is no short-term cover available for ambulance staff, meaning ambulance cover may be dropped if staff members are out sick as the minimum required number of staff members would not be met. That is the sad reality. Ambulance staff work around the clock, with a 20-hour shift not being unheard of for staff in the north west. That is completely unsatisfactory and it is dangerous. I am sure the Road Safety Authority does not condone unsafe practices such as the hours being worked by ambulance drivers. I know exactly what I am talking about on this issue and the people who have been affected. The current practice is wrong. Those people are worn out.

Access to out-of-hours health services in County Leitrim is extremely limited. The HSE promised to implement measures in terms of new personnel, ambulances and first responder schemes in Leitrim and north Roscommon as advised by the 2015 capacity review that was published in 2016 for the National Ambulance Service. Some 24 new recruits to the ambulance service were passed out quite recently, but all of them were posted to major urban centres.

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