Maria McCormack (Sinn Fein)

I raise serious concerns about the current state of the National Ambulance Service, particularly its impact on rural communities like those in County Laois. Recently, I met local paramedics who were very honest about the chaos they face daily.

Let us be clear, a decade ago regional ambulance control worked far better with quicker response times with local knowledge that saved lives. Since the move to a single national dispatch centre, the situation has dramatically deteriorated. Paramedics are now regularly sent all over the country. A crew dispatched from Laois to Galway could be stuck in Galway overnight. This situation leaves Laois with no ambulance available for long periods.

This is not an abstract problem. It costs lives. I spoke the last day about the impact this had on my own family, but today I want to share another heartbreaking story with the Minister of State. It is the story of Lauren McEvoy and her late mother. On 9 March 2023, Lauren's mother suffered a brain aneurysm at home at The Heath, Portlaoise, County Laois. Despite multiple 999 calls, with an ICU nurse explaining the critical nature of the situation, the ambulance took more than two hours to arrive. It had been dispatched from Clara, County Offaly. Even though Portlaoise hospital is just six minutes away, the ambulances in Laois were dispatched from much farther away than they needed to be. When the ambulance arrived, a further 45 minutes were lost at the scene. It was 10.30 p.m. before Lauren's mother was finally admitted to Beaumont Hospital.