Ambulance cut ‘due to size of overtime bill’
MILLSTREET AMBULANCE HAD ANSWERED 1,100 CALS OVER THE PREVIOUS 14 MONTHS
THE decision by the HSE to cut the Millstreet day time ambulance service, which has been in operation for the past 14 months, has been described as a “huge error” by a HSE employee.
A source within the HSE claimed the “overtime bill in North Cork” was the reason why the HSE decided to cut the service.
The Millstreet ambulance was called out over 1,100 times over the past 14 months, responding to calls not just in Millstreet but also in Mallow, Cork city and Macroom as well as a a small number of emergency situations in Killarney, according to the source.
In North Cork, there are 40 paramedic staff covering the region – 15 based in Mallow, 15 in Kanturk and 10 in Macroom.
“The reason that the Millstreet ambulance came about was the fact that doctors in the region, along with the public and politicians, put huge pressure on the HSE to put it in place,” said the source.
THE decision by the HSE, last Thursday, to cut the Millstreet ambulance service that has been in operation for 14 months is “a huge error”, according to a HSE employee.
The HSE employee who agreed to speak to The Corkman on the condition of anonymity, said: “The Millstreet ambulance was activated over 1,100 times over the past 14 months during day time hours up until 8pm, and after that a response car was put in place during the night time.
“The Millstreet ambulance responded to calls not just in Millstreet but also responded to call-outs in Mallow, Cork city and Macroom, as well as a few call-outs in Killarney.”
When asked if the employee believed lives would be put at serious risk, the employee said: “Patient outcomes can vary depending on the response time of an ambulance. In short, no one can ever say when and where they will need an ambulance. Life doesn’t work out like that.”
Asked why the ambulance service was cut, the employee said: “Money – it’s that simple. The overtime bill for paramedics in North Cork was deemed too high and so the HSE cut the Millstreet ambulance service.”
In North Cork there are 40 paramedic staff covering the region: 15 in Mallow, 15 in Kanturk and 10 in Macroom.
In March 2016, a new agreement was put in place with paramedics whereby Millstreet got ambulance cover “initially on a temporary basis” but this was then extended every three months – up until last Thursday, May 18.
“The reason that the Millstreet ambulance came about was the fact that doctors in the region, along with the public and politicians, put huge pressure on the HSE to put it in place. Doctors were waiting sometimes over two hours for an ambulance and they rightly began to complain to the HSE,” said the source.
“There is absolutely a need for a Millstreet ambulance and the call-outs clearly demonstrate this.
“As I said, over the 1,100 times it was activated, it wasn’t just for the Millstreet region. This is common in the ambulance service. On Tuesday, May 23, an ambulance from Cork city attended to a call in Kanturk, and meanwhile, the ambulance from Kanturk was attending to a call in Cork city,” said the source.
When asked why this had happened in the first place as it would seem to make more sense for an ambulance to stay in its catchment region, the HSE employee said that a huge problem lies with the dispatch system. “
When a 999 call is placed it must be answered. It doesn’t matter what the call is about.
“As a HSE employee, I can tell you for a fact that an ambulance from Kanturk attended to a person in Charleville in January over a toothache. This isn’t just a North Cork issue but a national one.”