Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I respect that the Taoiseach may not have to hand all of the information relating to the west Cork ambulance service. I appreciate the Taoiseach's offer that the Minister will engage on this matter.

Staffing is an issue. The staff the ambulance service has at the moment are exhausted. Some are walking away. I have spoken to them personally. There were great ambulance staff who just could not cope anymore and just walked away from the whole crisis they see there. There are solutions out there if worked on. I will put some of these solutions to the Taoiseach. In 2013 the west Cork people and ambulance staff were sold a fib that there would be a 24-7 rapid response vehicle in west Cork at all times. It would be a truly great service, if delivered. Fast forward ten years and what the people of west Cork have is a daytime rapid response vehicle, which I was told was out for 94 days last year. This broken promise of a 24-hour service has cost numerous lives in west Cork. If we are to put our ambulance service right we need an intermediate care vehicle to transport people from hospital to nursing homes or to community hospitals and back. This needs to be put in place immediately. These solutions will not resolve this huge ambulance crisis in west Cork but if worked on it will make a very positive difference. I urge the Taoiseach to work with all involved to introduce these solutions. If not, the consequences will be fatal for the people of west Cork who require an ambulance service.

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