Ambulance delays in the south west
Deputy Cairns raises a constituent’s four-hour wait for an ambulance and says rural ambulance cover is being cut because of staffing shortages. The Minister says the HSE is being funded at record levels and will be told of the issue.
Recently, a constituent reached out to me. Her daughter had an epileptic seizure and she called an ambulance, but had to wait for four hours. That is not an isolated incident. Response times for ambulances are too long, especially in rural areas. Due to staffing shortages, the service depends on workers on non-rostered overtime. This issue is particularly acute in the south west. Incredibly, instead of finding a solution to this, the HSE management decide to slash the ambulance service across the region. For example, there was to be no cover in Skibbereen on Mondays and no cover in Castletownbere on Tuesdays - the list goes on. It is welcome that the Minister for Health intervened to prevent that, but the initial problem remains. The HSE has said it does not have the funding to pay overtime for these shifts and no extra staff are available to work them. Until funding and staff are provided, there is no certainty about the future of the ambulance service across the south west. This leaves people in danger and is extremely unfair on ambulance staff. Will the Minister ensure that the necessary funding is provided for the National Ambulance Service to be able to do its job?
Comment on this
I thank the Deputy for raising that matter. I am sorry to hear of the obvious distress that would have been caused to the Deputy's constituent who had to contact her. From a funding point of view, we are providing, and will continue to provide, record levels of funding to the HSE. The funding that was provided for this year, and which will be provided next year, is a comprehensive attempt by the Government to ensure our health services are well funded in the context of demand. I know the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, is aware of the issue regarding ambulance services.
Comment on this
They have no funding to address the staff shortages.
Comment on this
The funding is coming from the Government to recruit more and more people for the HSE. I will ensure that the Minister, Deputy Donnelly, is aware of this matter. I believe he is, given that it was referenced in the Dáil last week. I will do so again.