New ambulance station opens up in Enniscorthy
A new state of the art ambulance station situated on the Old Dublin Road in Enniscorthy has officially been handed over to paramedics following the handing over of €200,000 in funding from the HSE. The Enniscorthy Ambulance Station is now situated in the Peare Campus on the Old Dublin Road and replaces St John’s Hospital as a base for paramedics.
The new station can cater for up to three ambulances and 16 staff, with changing rooms, a kitchen, storage areas and room to expand. Minister Paul Kehoe made the announcement that the final funding had gone through last week and was delighted to see the station operational.
‘This will ensure that all areas of the county are covered by the ambulance service,’ he said. ‘This investment also future-proofs ambulance cover for years to come and it’s a major boost for Enniscorthy. This upgrade really is of vital importance for the entire county. It means now that the people of Enniscorthy and beyond are given adequate cover and that we finally have infrastructure that is state of the art and fit for purpose.’
Minister Kehoe says that he has worked alongside Independent councillor and Paramedic Supervisor Ger Carthy to deliver on the investment, and Cllr Carthy is equally happy to see it get over the line.
‘It’s been something that’s been needed for a long number of years,’ he said. ‘Amendments were made to the old base at St John’s Hospital, but we were promised that this would be addressed properly nearly two decades ago. I had made representations through the Regional Health Forum and we were assured Enniscorthy would be made a priority. It’s great to finally see it open and its a blueprint for other stations around the country.’
Cllr Carthy says that HSE Operations Resource Manager Niamh Lacey put in a lot of work behind the scenes on the project and was full of praise for Thomas Peare, who provided the site and managed to fit the whole unit out and have it operational within six months.
‘It’s a great morale booster as well,’ said Cllr Carthy. ‘The staff now have a great new facility with everything they need in it and that’s a really big help. Also, the station is ideally situated where it is. Following a review, the area that would be best suited for an ambulance station was picked out and this site is almost bang on the button for where it needs to be.
‘There will be quick access to the new motorway and Scarawalsh, but it will be equally easy to get in and out to Enniscorthy.’
Fianna Fáil Deputy James Browne said that the new ambulance station was a priority for him upon his election to the Dáil and while he welcomed the new facility, he said that pressure still needed to be applied.
‘As far as I can understand, it’s only a five year lease at the current site,’ he said. ‘This is a very positive development for Enniscorthy and I know the paramedics are very happy with it, but we need to continue to fight to ensure a permanent solution in Enniscorthy, whether that be at the current site or somewhere else.’
‘The new station is done to a very high standard and it’s in the ideal location,’ Deputy Browne continued. ‘Also it’s very positive that it puts an end to speculation that all of the ambulances would be moved to Wexford. I think it’s very good news, but we now need to ensure it’s a permanent solution rather than a temporary one.’
Station Supervisor Shane O’Brien said that the staff were delighted with the new station, which has now been operational for just over a week.
‘It’s a fantastic building here,’ he said. ‘We have everything we need here. Changing rooms, washing facilities, a store room, a kitchen, two bays for our vehicles. When you compare it to where we came from in St John’s which was just one little room for everything. It’s also ideally positioned in terms of the new motorway when it comes along and we’re hoping we’ll be able to cut response times down considerably.’
Shane says that, currently, six staff are operating from the Enniscorthy station and they are working on increasing this to eight or ten in the coming months. He described the new station as a major boost for Enniscorthy and the whole county.