‘Centralised ambulance system creates delays’

The heartbreak suffered by a Mullingar family whose mother died during the long wait for an ambulance has led to Westmeath County Council calling on the HSE to review the current operating system for ambulance services in this country.

At the January meeting of Westmeath County Council, members unanimously supported a motion from Cllr Denis Leonard calling for an immediate HSE review of the National Ambulance Service model and a wider debate on how emergency cover is provided in the midlands.

Introducing his proposal, Cllr Leonard said the skill of the “fantastic” ambulance staff had saved many lives, but their efforts were being undermined by how the service is now organised, stating that when a call is made for an ambulance, it may wind up coming from as far away as Ballinasloe, Navan, Portlaoise or Cavan.

His motion was prompted by a letter from a local woman whose mother collapsed at home, just five minutes from Mullingar Hospital, and waited over an hour for an ambulance to arrive. Despite CPR and help from first responders on the scene, the woman died before medical help reached her.

He also shared a personal family experience from three months ago, when a relative in her nineties broke her hip and was brought to Mullingar. When it was decided to move her to Tullamore, it took seven hours for an ambulance transfer.

Cllr Leonard said “the golden hour” after a medical emergency was often the difference between life and death. He called for a letter to the HSE copied to local TDs and senators seeking “transparency regarding ambulance availability in the midlands” and “immediate and meaningful improvements.”

Seconding the motion, Cllr John Dolan said he owed his life to the ambulance service but believed the system was broken. “When it works, it’s life-saving. When it doesn’t, it’s a disaster,” he said.

He gave an example of an Athlone ambulance crew that drove 600 kilometres in one shift due to pick-ups across the midlands and as far as the Dublin Mountains.

“That’s the centralised system at work,” he said. “In theory it’s good — the nearest ambulance goes to the emergency — but in practice that’s the problem. People are dying as a result.”

Cllr David Jones described being told directly by an ambulance driver that under a cross-border initiative, if no vehicles were available in Westmeath, an ambulance could be sent from as far away as Belfast, while Cllr Andrew Duncan said ambulances are spending more time driving around the countryside than actually picking people up.” He pointed to staff shortages and what he termed the “misuse of ambulances” by people who call them unnecessarily. In his view, the solution must include more ambulances, more staff, and a return to regionalisation.

Cllr Julie McCourt said similar stories were being reported across every county, describing the issue as “a national crisis.” She welcomed that Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald had raised the matter in the Dáil and called for county councils to keep pressing the issue.

Meanwhile, Cllr Vinny McCormack argued that the centralised model could work if properly resourced. “We can romanticise the past — there were long waits then too,” he said. “But if a system like this isn’t constantly reviewed and properly funded, it’s going to fail. There’s merit in the idea; it’s simply a case of resources.”

Cllr Mick Dollard pointed to the presence of the National Ambulance Service headquarters at Pettitswood in Mullingar, and said councillors “owe it to our constituents” to find out precisely what the current arrangements are.

Cllr Tom Farrell stated that, as a member of the HSE Regional Health Forum, he would see that the issue was discussed at the next forum meeting in Tullamore. “This is about preventing this from ever happening again,” he said.

Cllr Ken Glynn, praised the bereaved family for seeking awareness so that no other family would endure the same loss and Cllr Liam McDaniel said it was “beyond belief” that in a county like Westmeath — where no one is more than roughly 15 kilometres from a hospital— a person could still wait an hour for an ambulance, while Cathaoirleach Cllr Aoife Davitt said there needed to be recognition of the “human side” of policy decisions and pointed to protocols which can require ambulance crews to remain at hospitals until certain conditions are met.

Council chief executive Barry Kehoe confirmed that the council would write to the HSE as requested, copying Oireachtas members. Members also agreed to request that the HSE and the National Ambulance Service attend the chamber.

Cllr Frankie Keena suggested examining whether Westmeath’s Fire Service could also train personnel as paramedics, similar to the model in Dublin where fire crews provide frontline medical assistance. “If they can do it in Dublin, why can’t we do it here in Westmeath?” he asked. Mr Kehoe responded that fire services operate differently outside Dublin but said he would explore whether training for paramedic qualification might be feasible in future.

“We need to be careful and clear about the services we can provide,” he said. “But it’s something I’ll take away and look into.”