Open letter to the Minister for Health – 4/10/2011

Dear Minister,

Re: curtailment of ambulance services between 8pm and 8am seven days a week in Skibbereen and Castletownbere and closure of the Minor Injuries Assessment Unit at Bantry General Hospital as from 01.01.12

On the 19th July this year, the Town Clerk of Skibbereen wrote to you at the request of all the members of Skibbereen Town Council to advise you of our extreme concern at the proposed curtailment of the Ambulance Service in West Cork generally but Skibbereen in particular. A reply was received eight weeks later on 13/09/11.

The members were greatly disappointed at the very late reply received from your Secretary, firstly because of the seriousness of the matter, we had hoped you would respond personally, and secondly and more importantly, the reply contained the same statements we regard as being evasive and misleading, i.e. “the HSE has confirmed to me that no ambulance stations are closing in Cork and Kerry” that you made in reply to Deputy McCarthy in the Dail recently.

Every person in West Cork knows that there is no station closing in Skibbereen or Castletownbere but that the ambulance is being replaced by a Rapid Response car for twelve hours a day which will, despite all your assurances, cause the deaths of people in this area and aggravated injuries while awaiting the attendance of an ambulance or Advanced Paramedic from the nearest station in Bantry or Clonakilty, which are both at least 30 minutes away under blue lights from Skibbereen and up to 1½ hours from The Mizen peninsula, Sheep’s Head or the Beara Peninsula. This would be followed by compulsory minimum 75 – 90 minute journey to the nearest open medical facility in Cork as the Minor Injuries Assessment unit in Bantry Hospital is to be closed for twelve hours a day.

I was asked at a Public meeting held on Friday September 30th, which was attended by over 700 (verified by signature on entering) members of the public, to request a clear and unambiguous statement that the ambulance service in West Cork will be maintained at the current level with no downgrading of the current services.

I have also been asked to invite you to Skibbereen to address a public meeting which will be arranged to suit your schedules, so you may explain the logic of these actions if they are to be implemented. In order to give you first-hand experience of the hardship and discomfort endured by patients and casualties from this area in the present circumstances, we will bring an ambulance to meet you in Cork to bring you to West Cork as a front seat or stretcher borne passenger and take you if desired to the Mizen, Sheep’s Head, and Beara peninsula’s in order that you can familiarise yourself with the geographical spread of the area. You will then be able to experience first hand how foolhardy and illogical are the intentions of the HSE.

If you are unable to accept our invitation, we request that you arrange a date meet a delegation of the General Public and Skibbereen Town Council in your Dublin Office and at a location in Dublin of your choosing, meet approximately 80% of the people attending our public meeting who requested to travel to indicate to you the depth of their concern and worry at the proposed curtailment.

I will be able to present substantial and accurate details of past incidents which have occurred, where even under the present conditions and with the present levels of service, people have died because of the isolation of this area and I confidently predict further disastrous scenarios under the proposals of the HSE if implemented.

Having spent forty six years in Cork County Fire Service , the last 25 years as an operational Station Officer, I am acutely aware of the difficulties encountered in this area by the Emergency Services and of the certainty of the disastrous outcome that will occur if the proposed changes are implemented.

The people of West Cork have indicated their intention to resist the proposed changes in every way possible and they were assured of the full support of the three Deputies and Senator for Cork South West, Cork County Council and Skibbereen Town Council.

This letter has been copied to local public representatives and to the local press as a means of making our actions as requested at last week’s public meeting known to everyone concerned and involved.

Yours sincerely,
Frank Fahy

Mayor
Skibbereen Town Council