Local ambulances being sent instead to other counties

SHANKILL-BASED VEHICLES WHICH SHOULD BE SERVING BRAY ARE REGULARLY RE-DEPLOYED TO PARTS OF MEATH AND KILDARE

AMBULANCES from the Shankill depot, which should be serving Bray, are instead being redeployed regularly to areas as far away as Ashbourne, Celbridge, Ballymun and Swords.

This is according to a source within the ambulance service. He said that this means that on the night shifts from Monday to Thursday, this would leave just one ambulance crew in the area.

There are four to five ambulances scheduled at Shankill during the day, and three at night on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Pulling one out of the depot to furnish another area is ‘common practice’, according to the source. ‘ It happens on every shift,’ he said.

He added that crews have been sent to other depots to remain on standby, again leaving Shankill with one fewer ambulance for the south Dublin/north Wicklow area.

Furthermore, there was to be an ambulance based out of Newcastle Hospital. This emerged last November with the closure of Loughlinstown A& E. It was announced at the time that the HSE would install an ambulance and a motorbike there with six staff.

There is currently no ambulance there but a rapid response vehicle manned by one person and not suitable for transporting patients to hospital. That car has also been drawn to the Dublin area.

While the car is manned by an advanced paramedic who can administer a high level of medical care, the vehicle cannot bring a person to hospital.

The HSE had not responded to a request for information at the time of going to press.