Danny Healy-Rae slams ambulance management after Kerry delays
Danny Healy-Rae criticised ambulance service management and warned rural communities are being left without adequate emergency cover. He praised drivers and paramedics but said management failures have caused long waits, burned-out crews and dangerous patient outcomes.
Praise for crews and critique of management
He commended ambulance drivers, paramedics and staff for their hard work and invaluable service, but said "the management of the ambulance service" is wrong. He argued staff are burned out from long exhausting shifts and that systemic management failures are at the root of the problems.
Detailed incidents in Kerry and patient transfers
He recounted a sequence of recent deployments that left County Kerry without ambulance cover for a 12-hour shift, describing ambulances sent from South Kerry to Westcock, transfers to Clark University Hospital, and repeated trips between Dungarven and Waterford Hospital. He said crews were redirected multiple times and that the county was left without an ambulance for an entire shift.
Impact on patients and rural communities
He described cases of patients left waiting for urgent help, saying such delays cause distress and can worsen medical outcomes. He cited a farmer with four fingers who, after a long wait, had to be bundled into a car by his wife, and a patient identified as "Ambrose or Suleiman" who arrived at hospital in his wheelchair inside the back of a transit van.
Calls for resources and action
He urged expansion of the ambulance fleet and increased hospital capacity to prevent patients being left in ambulances. He criticised the 2012 reconfiguration of the National Ambulance Service as a reduction in service and directly called on the minister to "wake up and do something about it."
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Thank you very much. I too want to thank Sinn Fein for bringing forward this very important motion because it's one of the most hopeful things that's happening in our county at the present time and we do not have an adequate service and first of all I want to compliment the drivers and the paramedics and all the staff that do an excellent job. It's the management of the ambulance service that's wrong and without a shadow of a doubt and you see ambulance workers have burned out from long exhausting shifts, ambulance staff worked very hard and provided an invaluable service in caring for our communities. Far too often patients are left waiting for far too long when they need urgent medical help. This not only causes considerable distress to patients but can worsen the medical outcomes. and we must stand up for our ambulance service and ensure they get the support they need to do their jobs properly and we need to expand our ambulance fleet to ensure that rural communities are properly served and not being left behind like they are at the present time. We need to increase hospital capacity to avoid patients being left waiting in ambulances. So back in 2012 we had a very good ambulance service but this board was introduced the reconfiguration of the National Ambulance Service. What I actually mean was a reduction of the ambulance service. Ambulances are being deployed recently from South Kerry to Westcock. Deep into the heart of Westcock. They started off at 8 o'clock in the morning. They took a patient to Clark University Hospital. When they pressed the button to come out of there they were sent to Dungarven to take a patient to Waterford Hospital. When they were coming out of Waterford they were told to go back to Dungarven. For they were sent to Dungarven to take a patient to Waterford Hospital. Then they thought they were told to go back to Dungarven to go back to Dungarven for the second patient and took that patient back to Waterford again. Then they thought they were coming back to Kerry and they were told to go to Clannmill. And that's the God's honest gospel truth and that happened. And that all County of Kerry was left a whole 12 hour shift without that ambulance. That's not good enough Minister. And you see we're in the back burner because more ambulances go to Cork. And you see not the same amount of Cork ambulances go to Kerry. So we're left without service. You're the farmer with four fingers were caught up. And his wife after a long wait had to bundle him into a car and wrap up his hand and take him herself. And the last drive that Ambrose or Suleiman got to the hospital instead of being in an ambulance was in his wheelchair inside in the back of a transit van. That's not good enough. We did better service years ago than we have known. He must wake up and do something about it.
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