Plan to solve ambulance service crux

A possible solution to the community ambulance crux putting lives at risk in rural areas, and particularly Connemara, was outlined at a public meeting.

Up to 70 people from Leenane, Maam and surrounding areas turned up at Leenane Hall last week in response to concerns about bureaucratic restrictions that are curtailing use of community ambulances in emergencies.

A two-pronged approach was agreed: setting up a team of trained volunteers to respond to emergencies and piling on political pressure to secure proper ambulance cover for the area.

It was confirmed at the meeting that community ambulances cannot respond to emergency call-outs because rules state that there are supposed to be two trained paramedics. The HSE rule effectively bans voluntary organisations such as Red Cross and Order of Malta from transporting emergency patients to hospital in the city.

This was confirmed in a statement read to the meeting from Brian Power, programme development officer with PHECC (Pre-Hospital Emergency Care Council), which is the regulator for emergency medical services.

The meeting also heard that even if the restriction on use of voluntary ambulances was lifted, there are not enough volunteers to man the service 24-hours every day for seven days.

One of the solutions suggested at the meeting for Maam and Leenane was the setting up of a ‘community first responder scheme’.

Under the scheme, 30 volunteers from the community would be trained as ‘cardiac first responders’ or CFRs. They would be trained to use the defibrillator, administer oxygen and give assistance to patients in need of emergency care until the ambulance arrives.

“With enough volunteers, a simple rota system can be put in place so that when a 999 call is made in the local community the emergency services will have the phone or pager number of the CFR on call that day or night and will message them to attend the scene. This will occur concurrently with the dispatch of emergency resources and will not delay the dispatch of those resources,” the meeting heard.

The meeting heard that some 30 volunteers were needed to operate the CFR scheme, and they would be on call once a month. They would require basic training from Red Cross initially plus ongoing training. Some 15 volunteers signed up on the night.

It was also agreed at the meeting that, given the ongoing restrictions on the use of Red Cross ambulance services, the community would have to fight politically on to secure proper ambulance services for the area.

The area is up to 60 miles away from the nearest hospital, and it has taken three hours in the past for an ambulance to arrive at an emergency. A steering group was formed to lobby politicians and gain support for adequate emergency service cover.

The meeting was chaired by Patricia Keane, who organised the meeting, and Siobhán Woods took the minutes. In attendance were several Connemara County Councillors including, Tom Healy, Tom Welby, Séan Ó Tuairisg, Eileen Mannion, Joe Folan and Niamh Burke. TDs were invited but the meeting clashed with the Budget in Dáil Éireann.