Robbie Gallagher (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Ba mhaith liom fáilte a chur roimh an Aire Stáit. I am raising the response times to ambulance call-outs in counties Monaghan and Cavan in the context of two very serious and life-threatening incidents that occurred in the north Monaghan area at the end of December 2016 and the beginning of January 2017. One person collapsed in a shopping centre in Monaghan and another person fell down the stairs of her family home. There was a delay of two hours in one case and two and a half hours in the other case while those involved waited for an ambulance to arrive. It subsequently transpired that the ambulance had to travel from County Longford. An ambulance was called last week in Killeshandra, County Cavan after a young pupil took unwell. The school was informed that it would take 45 minutes for the ambulance to arrive. The school principal, who is to be complimented for acting so quickly, was concerned and decided to contact a local general practitioner, who - in fairness to him - left his practice and went straight to the school. The case was so serious that the GP decided to travel with the child in a car to Cavan General Hospital. Surely this is not good enough in this day and age. I am sure the Minister of State can appreciate the trauma the family went through. Family members were worried about their loved ones and were extremely annoyed and upset about the delays that took place.These cases join a long list of cases in counties Monaghan and Cavan that would explain similar life-threatening delays. Unfortunately, this has been a problem in Monaghan for over a decade. When acute hospital services were removed from Monaghan General Hospital, the people of the county were promised a beefed-up ambulance service to compensate for the lack of services at the hospital. Unfortunately, the people of Monaghan are still waiting.

I wish to clarify the definition of a "golden hour". It is a term people in Monaghan and Cavan are rather familiar with. The golden hour is a period of one hour, or less, following traumatic injury being sustained by a casualty or medical emergency, during which there is the highest likelihood that prompt medical treatment will prevent death.

Today, there is a real and palpable fear among people in Monaghan and Cavan that a delay will occur following an ambulance call-out. Ambulance response times in Monaghan and Cavan are well outside the recommended levels. Indeed, the same applies in the north-east region generally, according to the latest National Ambulance Service statistics. HIQA guidelines are clear: an ambulance should arrive at the scene of a life-threatening emergency in fewer than 19 minutes in 80% of cases. However, last September, this target was met in only 67% of the 809 calls in the north-east region, well below the national average of 74%.

Last week, to great fanfare, An Taoiseach, along with senior Ministers, told us how the Government was going to look after and focus on the needs of rural Ireland. The most basic need of any citizen in rural Ireland is access to health care. Surely, the Minister of State will agree that the ambulance call-out consistency rate is abysmal.

The Minister and the HSE have much to do to establish confidence in the provision of health care in rural areas like counties Monaghan and Cavan. In no way is any criticism today directed at front-line staff. They are put in a difficult position and arrive at the scene where people are upset and distressed. They deserve great praise for the professionalism shown in adverse circumstances as well as for the care and kindness they show to the people concerned and their families. The lack of resources explains inadequate ambulance cover and delays. Ambulances are trying to cover areas that are too extensive to be feasible within time targets. Accountability for delays and poor service must be fixed as a matter of urgency.

I call on the Minister of State to arrange for a commitment to be given to the people of Cavan and Monaghan to the effect that delays of this nature will not continue and that adequate resources will be put in place to ensure people are attended to when the need arises.