Éamon Ó Cuív demands action on Connemara ambulance base
Éamon Ó Cuív raised urgent concerns about ambulance coverage in Connemara, saying promised feasibility work on an optimal ambulance waiting base has not been completed. He pressed the National Ambulance Service and the minister for clear timelines and immediate action.
Meeting and parliamentary follow-up
The deputy recalled a virtual meeting with Oireachtas members, the Connemara ambulance campaign group and the NAS and said a report was expected on the optimum location for a central ambulance waiting base. He noted a parliamentary question was submitted and replied to with a referral to the HSE and the NAS, but that the answer effectively said there is no answer and no committed report.
National Ambulance Service engagement and analysis
The NAS has engaged with local representatives and circulated an analysis of ambulance demand and response times for the area, with feedback from the community group still awaited. The NAS later advised that no feasibility report had been committed for a base near Ma'am Cross and that a national demand analysis has been hampered by a recent cyber attack.
Dynamic deployment model and local implications
The NAS deploys resources dynamically on an area and national basis rather than holding ambulances at static local bases, using real-time ICT to match available resources to demand. The deputy warned this approach leaves Connemara vulnerable when the nearest available ambulance is located far away, for example in Galway, rather than centrally within Connemara.
Community First Responder scheme as an alternative
The baseline review identified Community First Responder groups as the most effective way to improve rural emergency response times. At the end of February 2021 there were 275 schemes nationally, including 26 in Galway; two Connemara schemes have returned to service after COVID stand-down and others are due to be reactivated.
Call for immediate, accountable action
The deputy said previous inspections had indicated a base was needed and criticised the absence of follow-through as "pussyfooting", demanding that the NAS come and answer to the people of Connemara and implement the agreed measures to secure improved ambulance coverage.
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On the 19th of April 2021, there was a meeting held virtually with the Oireachtas members and the ambulance campaign group in Connemara and the NAS. I think it's the clear understanding of everybody at that meeting that a report was to be prepared as to the optimum location of an ambulance waiting base that will be located somewhere centrally in Connemara. On the 13th of May, I put on a parliamentary question which got a reply that the matter was referred to the HSE and the NAS asking when the report in the optimum location would be bound. I got the answer, Trawhul Goma in Yew. And the answer is, there is no answer. Nothing has happened. The National Ambulance Service is focused on improving the provision of service delivery to this end and analysis of operational resources is currently planned. In other words, we have done nothing. Nothing has changed. Thank you, Deputy. And I think it's absolutely vital now we get action as agreed at that meeting on this issue. Minister Rabbitt, thank you for being here to deal with this matter. Not at all. And I do thank you, like the other TDs, for selecting this this evening. So I would like to thank Deputies Connolly, Farrell and Nookwee for raising the issue of ambulance services in Connemara. I'm advised that the National Ambulance Service has been engaging with local representatives on an ongoing basis regarding the provision of emergency ambulance resources for Connemara. The most recent engagement involved the Chief Ambulance Officer for the NAS West Division meeting virtually with the Connemara Ambulance Crisis Group and others attendees invited to the group. And I think that's what maybe Deputy O'Kweeve was referring to. As a result of these engagements, an analysis of ambulance demand and response times for that area has been circulated. And I understand from the NAS that feedback is awaited from the group. The Deputies have specifically raised the possibility of an ambulance base located centrally in Connemara to ensure that the region is covered at all times. As the Deputies may be aware, the National Ambulance Service deploys its resources in a dynamic manner, operating on an area and national basis as opposed to on a local or county basis. This means that the emergency ambulances are not held at a specific static base, but used in a more flexible manner that reflects the population need and demand. Dynamic Deployment uses an ICT platform that provides real-time information to the staff of the National Emergency Operations Centre who continually match currently available resources and their locations with service demand requirements. The most appropriate, nearest available resources is deployed in the first instance. The baseline and capacity review also highlighted that the most effective way to improve emergency response times in rural areas is through the Community First Responder Scheme. Community First Responder groups are comprised of trained volunteers who are supported and dispatched by the National Ambulance Service. The groups respond to particular types of medical emergencies such as cardiac arrest, respiratory arrest, chest pain, choking and stroke. I am advised that at the end of February 2021, a total of 275 schemes were established, including 26 in Galway. In Connemara, two Community First Responder groups have returned to service following COVID stand-down, while other groups will be reactivated. But to get to the purpose of your question was the follow-up in relation to the meeting. So prior to coming in here this evening, Cian Corla, I did a follow-up in response to the answer that I've got, because I didn't feel you've got my response, I didn't feel it would address actually what you meant. So I'd like to read out what I received just before coming in. The National Ambulance Service has advised that there has been no report committed to in relation to a feasibility study for a base near Ma'am Cross. No commitment was provided for a base location, nor any report committed to. The National Ambulance Service has undertaken an analysis of demand, which consists of calls in the Connemara area, in order to understand the level of service required in the area. A further analysis of a national demand is being undertaken, and the ability to complete this analysis has been hampered by a recent cyber attack. I think it's important to have that read into the record of the Dáil this evening, because I would be doing you a disservice to stand here and to give you the answer that you have in front of me, because it does not address the question which you have raised with me, as to exactly where it is in relation to addressing the report, if there was a report, and timelines for location. Thank you, Ken Cornish. Do you ever feel you're going backwards at an alarming rate? Because during the term of the previous Dáil, people came out from the NIS to look at a location in Connemara, and at that stage, there was really no question but that a base was needed. Now, the idea that they don't have bases such as this, that they move an ambulance in while it's waiting, into a central position, is incorrect. They have a number of those in County Mayo, for example. And the problem with Connemara, saying you're going to call the nearest ambulance when the ambulance you have is gone, is Galway. It's as simple as that. So, what we need is action on this. Now, I think, if you took what the National Ambulance Service said, that there wasn't a commitment to look at the optimum location in the middle of Connemara, I think it's a case of mass hallucination on the participants, both from the community and the public representatives at that meeting, because all of us clearly understood that they were going to look around the area and find the most suitable location. Now, we need to stop the pussyfooting. If they're not going to do it, let them come out and answer to the people of Connemara, we're not going to do this. And one final point I'd like to make. I actually live in the heart of Connemara, 35 miles from Galway, far from the services. This campaign has been going on for 7 to 10 years, and its time was brought to a conclusion. Thank you. Minister, please. Thank you, Ciancorla, and thank all the deputies for raising this again this evening. I suppose we're fortunate this evening it's a minister from Galway that has taken this question that has complete understanding of Connemara. And I have an understanding that when I leave the Barna Road to go out west, that I'm as close to Dublin as I am to some parts of Connemara. So what I will ensure to do for the deputies here this evening, the answer that I got this evening was from the Trauma and Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Policy Unit. I will organise a meeting with that team within the Department of Health, along with the members of the NAS, within the next month. And I would invite all three colleagues who are working closely together, representing their constituents on the ground, to a meeting. And perhaps we can move this item agenda forward. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
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